MRI/ultrasound combination effective for treating prostate cancer

A new, minimally invasive procedure that combines MRI and transurethral ultrasound is effective for treating prostate cancer, according to research presented March 20 at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting in Salt Lake City. A team led by Steven Raman, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the treatment -- dubbed MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) and performed by interventional radiologists -- proved a viable alternative to surgery or radiation, showing a recovered continence rate of 92% at five-year follow-up. "This image-guided therapy maximizes our ability to kill cancer cells while minimizing collateral damage to the prostate to achieve the ultimate trifecta in prostate cancer treatment: full local cancer control while maintaining urinary continence and potency," Raman said in a statement released by healthcare public relations firm Reis Group. Traditional prostate cancer treatments such as radiation therapy or surgery carry risk of side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, Raman and colleagues noted. The TULSA procedure consists of the insertion of a catheter-like device into the urethra through the prostate; once the catheter is in place, MRI guides the positioning of 10 therapeutic ultrasound elements into the prostate. Interventional radiologists then use MR thermometry to monitor targeted tissue while heating it to more than 55° and limitin...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Interventional MRI Ultrasound Genitourinary Radiology Source Type: news