A high-powered beam of ultrasound can destroy prostate cancer without causing the serious side effects that plague other treatments, according to new research.
The highly significant trial shows it is possible to obliterate tumour cells without damaging the delicate surrounding tissues, including the nerves that are critical for male sexual function. Conventional surgery or radiotherapy leaves half of men impotent and a fifth incontinent.
The side effects are so common that many men with slow-growing tumours are advised not to have treatment. But doctors in London and Basingstoke used an experimental procedure called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu) to destroy tumours in what they called the 'male lumpectomy'.
There was no incision, so there was no recovery time. I walked out of hospital the same day. It was far less trouble than having a tooth pulled. I have not had any pain anywhere. None of the 41 men had incontinence, and only 10% had impotence, according to results in the journal Lancet Oncology.
Dr Hashim Ahmed of University College London Hospital said: 'Our results are very encouraging. 'We're optimistic that men diagnosed with prostate cancer may soon be able to undergo a day case surgical procedure, which can be safely repeated once or twice, to treat their condition with very few side effects.
'That could mean a significant improvement in their quality of life.'
The doctors used high resolution MRI scans of the men's prostates to map the precise location of the tumours. They then used Hifu machines to focus ultrasound waves onto an area the size of a grain of rice.
This heats the cells to 100 degrees, killing the cells without affecting nearby tissues. Doctors say men opting for traditional treatments only have a 50% chance of good cancer control without side effects. Richard Williams had Hifu for two pea-size tumours.
He left hospital the same day and experienced no side effects. He told Sky News: 'There was no incision, so there was no recovery time. I walked out of hospital the same day. 'It was far less trouble than having a tooth pulled. I have not had any pain anywhere.'
source: http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=740490&vId=3193873&cId=World
