This could be a game-changing Prostate Cancer Treatment
Doctors in the UK are hopeful that thousands of men with prostate cancer can be cured through a new and innovative hour-long operation.
The one-hour ‘Nanoknife’ operation utilizes electrical currents to destroy difficult-to-reach tumors, which is far less invasive than standard treatments with fewer risks to surrounding organs and tissues. The NHS has already carried out six procedures, with 70-year-old Neil Gershon among those receiving the treatment on the first day.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. According to recent data, it accounts for 14% of all cancer deaths in males in the UK and is uncommon in men younger than 45 years (0.5% of all newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases). It may initially cause no symptoms, but in later stages, it can cause urinary problems or pain in the lower back and hips.
Treatments such as radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy can be used to treat prostate cancer, yet they may also cause side effects such as erectile dysfunction, falls/fractures, seizures, heart disease, and other complications.
In order to reduce these side effects and improve outcomes, doctors are working to develop treatments that “target” cancer cells with greater specificity.
And the new Nanoknife might just be the ticket.
The ‘Nanoknife’ works by administering quick electrical pulses, using electrodes, around the tumor to kill the cancerous cells. These short pulses can be targeted to the right area and surrounding healthy cells are left untouched and preserved. Natalia Norori, the knowledge manager at Prostate Cancer UK, has said that the therapy could ‘make a big difference to the quality of life of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer’.
The UCLH team has stated that Nanoknife now needs to be tested in larger trials in order to see whether it is as effective as traditional treatments.
Source: The Brighter Side of the News >> Read the full article
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