Focal therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

Focal therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

Focal therapy is a cancer treatment in which only the damaged part of the organ is treated. It aims to remove the cancer with minimal damage to the organ where it is located. In the case of prostate cancer, this treatment affects only the affected part of the gland. It is an alternative to other treatments that damage the entire prostate to remove the cancer. Many methods are used to affect only one part of the prostate gland – these include cryotherapy, ultrasound, electroporation and photodynamic therapy. Cryotherapy is the most common form of focal therapy. With the help of needles, cold gases are directed, which reach the area of ??cancer in the prostate, where they freeze it. Freezing the cells helps them to be removed more easily. The advantages of cryotherapy are that it is not as invasive as surgery would be, results in less blood loss and a shorter stay and recovery period. In the early stages of cancer, when it is still only in one part of the body, cryotherapy is an effective treatment option. Ultrasound therapy, or HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound), uses sound waves at high frequencies that penetrate deep into the tissues. This therapy works on the opposite principle of cryotherapy � instead of lowering the temperature in the cancer cells to the point of freezing, the ultrasound waves aim to raise the temperature in the cancer tissues, killing the cancer cells. Electroporation is a therapy that uses an electric current to kill cancer cells. Needles are inserted into the prostate, after which an electric current is passed. This causes irreversible damage to the cancer cells and subsequently destroys them. The precise placement of the needles protects the surrounding tissue from damage. Photodynamic therapy uses specific drugs to destroy cancer cells. They enter and stay directly in the cancer tissues and do not affect the other cells in the prostate. When the drug is exposed to light rays, radicals are produced in the cells, which lead to the cell death of the cancer cells. Using focal therapy, the side effects of standard prostate cancer treatments in men can be prevented. Problems such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence are seen with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, for which the risk is significantly lower with focal therapy. References: Rowden, A. What to know about focal therapy for prostate cancer. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/focal-therapy-for-prostate-cancer

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