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New pain-free treatment for prostate cancer? Not quite

If you or someone close to you has lived with prostate cancer, you’ve probably come across dozens of emerging treatments in your hours of Googling. One such treatment, focal therapy, has been dubbed the “new pain-free treatment for prostate cancer”. But don’t hold your breath; it’s still in its experimental phases.

So, what exactly is focal therapy? And what barriers do we need to overcome before it’s made available?

Prostate cancer is the nation’s second most common cancer, with around 19,000 new diagnoses each year. This type of cancer is multi-focal, meaning it’s found in more than one location in the prostate at a time. The largest tumour – known as the index lesion…

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  Focal Therapy Killing the Cancer Not the Prostate

Focal therapy, although not the standard of care, is emerging as a way to treat localized prostate cancer in carefully selected patients.

 The state of focal therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer: the university of California collaborative (UC-Squared) consensus statement

Focal therapy is an emerging management alternative for men with localized prostate cancer, but its optimal use remains controversial. Based on the American Urological Association (AUA) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, focal therapy by High Intensity Frequency Ultrasound (HIFU) or other modalities is not routinely recommended for the treatment of patients at any risk level, due to a lack of supporting evidence. This guideline is based on expert opinion.

Articles of Interest

Cryotherapy, HIFU, and Other Ablative Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Some types of ablative treatments, such as cryotherapy and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), might be options to treat prostate cancer in certain situations, such as after radiation therapy. Some doctors now offer these as initial treatment options for early-stage prostate cancers that are at low risk of growing and spreading, especially in men who don’t want surgery or radiation but aren’t comfortable with just active surveillance.

Identifying the best candidate for focal therapy: a comprehensive review

Despite the evidence supporting the use of focal therapy (FT) in patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa), considerable variability exists in the patient selection criteria across current studies.

Minimally invasive focal therapies for prostate cancer

Focal therapy relies on the use of energy sources to generate extreme temperatures that lead to tumor destruction. Available options include cryoablation, focal laser ablation and high-frequency ultrasound ablation.

Pros and Cons of Focal Therapy for Localised Prostate Cancer

In prostate cancer, an interesting and intriguing option to overcome the risks of whole-gland treatment is focal therapy, with the aim of eradicating known cancer foci and reducing collateral damages to the structures essential for maintaining normal urinary and sexual function.

What is focal therapy?

Focal therapies have been available for many years in various forms while others are emerging but all remain experimental. There are ongoing clinical trials exploring how effective and safe focal therapies are, and what their side effects are compared to current treatments, but more evidence is needed before they can be routinely used as mainstream therapies.