Although some prostate cancer treatments can come with a slew of side effects, a new tool called TULSA is both accurate and free from the usual side effects of treatment.
What is TULSA?
TULSA is MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation and it’s very different than the two most common treatment options for prostate cancer: radiation therapy and surgery.
While surgery and radiation are both typically effective treatments, they can come with side effects, such as:
- erectile dysfunction
- incontinence
- bowel issues
TULSA is a minimally invasive procedure that can target the cancer without harming the nearby healthy muscle and tissue. It’s done during an MRI scan so surgeons can see what they’re doing in great detail.
The procedure uses a rod-shaped tool to apply heat to the cancerous tissue via ultrasound generators. Using special software, the doctor can adjust each of the 10 ultrasound generators in terms of their strength, shape and target.
“Unlike with other ultrasound systems on the market, [we] can monitor the ultrasound ablation process in real time and get immediate MRI feedback of the thermal dose and efficacy,” explains Steve S. Raman, co-author of the research, which was presented at the Radiological Society of North America. “It’s an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time.” In fact, the entire procedure averages only 51 minutes.
Almost no side effects
For the research, 115 men with a low or intermediate risk of non-metastasized prostate cancer, TULSA eliminated clinically significant cancer in 80% of them. One year after treatment, the men’s prostate size had decreased from 39 cc to 3.8 cc. Also, after one year, 65% of the men were cancer-free in biopsies and their levels of PSA had dropped by an average of 95%.
In addition, there was a significant reduction of more than 90% in prostate volume, as well as low rates of impotence and almost zero incontinence.
TULSA is already approved in Europe.
