CLEVELAND, Ohio (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men – almost 35 thousand men will die from it this year. It develops when abnormal cells form and grow in the prostate gland. Now there is a new, minimally invasive procedure that targets these cells.
It’s the leading cause of cancer deaths in men 65 and older. Traditional treatment includes chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation.
Urologist Ruben Olivares specializes in prostate cancer and is an early adopter of a new procedure to treat it.
Doctor Olivares says, “We start the treatment with the passage of current between the electrodes. The main idea here is the electrical current, it’s able to break up the cell wall.”
The Nanoknife, also known as Irreversible Electroporation – or IRE – enables surgeons to treat the cancerous part of the prostate only. Instead of heat, electric pulses destroy the tumor leaving the surrounding healthy tissue and minimizing side-effects.
“This is an outpatient procedure. The patient leaves the hospital the same day of the surgery with a catheter.” Explains Doctor Olivares.
Based on the published data, Doctor Olivares says the Nanoknife is very safe and has a very low complication rate. He does warn however as with any prostate treatment there is some danger of infertility. So, men should preserve sperm before the procedure.
Contributors to this news report include: Adahlia Thomas, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
Sources:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/prostate-cancer
OUTPATIENT PROCEDURE FOR PROSTATE CANCER
REPORT #3077
BACKGROUND: One of the most common types of cancer in men is prostate cancer. This cancer usually grows slowly and initially remains confined to the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm. Some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and need minimal or no treatment, while other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. Prostate cancer forms in tissues of the prostate (a gland in the male reproductive system found below the bladder and in front of the rectum). A cancerous prostate cell has uncontrolled growth, abnormal structure, and the ability to move to other parts of the body (invasiveness). There is no single cause of prostate cancer. However, there are some factors that make developing prostate cancer more likely such as age, race, family history, diet, and lifestyle.
SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS: Most prostate cancers don’t cause any symptoms, but some signs can show up like frequent urination; weak or interrupted urine flow or the need to strain to empty the bladder; the urge to urinate frequently at night; blood in the urine; new onset of erectile dysfunction; pain or burning during urination, which is much less common; and discomfort or pain when sitting. If cancer has spread outside of the prostate gland, some symptoms to look for may include pain in the back, hips, thighs, shoulders, or other bones; swelling or fluid buildup in the legs or feet; unexplained weight loss; fatigue; and change in bowel habits. If a PSA or DRE test result comes back abnormal, then further tests will be used to confirm whether a person has prostate cancer. Many tests can suggest that cancer is present, but only a biopsy can make a definite diagnosis.
(Source: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/symptoms-and-signs)
NEW TREATMENT FOR POSTATE CANCER: A team led by Jiaoti Huang, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pathology in Duke University School of Medicine, has discovered a new path for developing a therapy that could help prostate cancer patients, without causing unwanted side effects. They discovered that a particular protein, called glypican-3, is expressed on the surface of neuroendocrine cells and is critical to their function. The new study is the first to identify this protein in prostate cancer. Duke medical oncologist Andrew Armstrong, MD, believes the work is a potential game changer, and said, “We need novel therapeutic modalities to target cells that are intrinsically resistant to hormonal therapy.” The team is collaborating with a company, CDI Laboratories, that has created antibodies that bind to glypican-3. The researchers will choose an antibody with the right properties to combine with a toxic drug, to create a therapy that would seek out and kill resistant neuroendocrine cells in prostate cancer.
(Source: https://medschool.duke.edu/news/closing-new-treatments-prostate-cancer)
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Kathryn Ely
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