MRI-Guided Ultrasound Technique for Localized Prostate Cancer
Posted: Friday, January 3, 2020
A minimally invasive technique that delivers sound waves to diseased prostate tissue—MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation—may prove to be an effective treatment for men with localized prostate cancer, according to TACT Pivotal study, presented at the 2019 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract SSC07-07). Other techniques, such as surgery and radiation therapy, are not always effective and may cause incontinence and bowel dysfunction. The results of this study indicate that whole-gland ablation appears to be effective in this patient population, with low rates of toxicity, and may also be used to treat benign prostate enlargement.
“There are two very unique things about this system,” said Steven S. Raman, MD, of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), in an RSNA press release. “First, you can control with much more finesse where you’re going to treat, preserving continence and sexual function. Second, you can do this for both diffuse and localized prostate cancer and benign diseases, including benign hyperplasia.”
The research team reported the 12-month outcomes from this study. The trial included 115 men with localized prostate cancer from 13 sites.
The majority of patients (96%) achieved more than 75% reductions in prostate-specific antigen levels. Overall, 8% of patients reported grade 3 adverse events, all of which were resolved with no rectal injuries. Incontinence was reported in 1% of patients, and 75% of the patients maintained sufficient erections for penetration.
“Unlike…other ultrasound systems on the market, you can monitor the ultrasound ablation process in real time and get immediate MRI feedback of the thermal dose and efficacy,” Dr. Raman continued. “It’s an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time.”
Disclosure: For disclosures of the study authors, visit meeting.rsna.org.
