Focal therapy revolutionizes prostate cancer treatment

BY AHMET TAŞ | WISE NEWS PRESS

ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE — Prof. Dr. Can Öbek, a Urology and Uro-oncology Specialist at Acıbadem Taksim Hospital, has announced that a new era has begun in the treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer as minimally invasive focal therapy increasingly replaces traditional surgery.

Prostate cancer remains the second most common cancer among men in Türkiye, following only lung cancer, and is increasingly being diagnosed in younger patients. Because the disease often progresses silently without showing early symptoms, approximately 30% of cases are diagnosed late, missing the window for total success when the cancer is still confined to the prostate.

The critical role of early screening

To combat the silent progression of the disease, experts emphasize that early diagnosis is a life-saving factor. Prof. Dr. Can Öbek recommends that men begin PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) testing and physical examinations starting at age 40. These screenings allow physicians to determine a patient's current status and assess their future risk of developing cancer, adjusting follow-up frequency accordingly. While PSA tests are the primary screening tool, a definitive diagnosis is confirmed through a prostate biopsy based on clinical findings.

Precision treatment preserves healthy tissue

Traditional treatments like surgery or radiotherapy involve removing or irradiating the entire prostate gland. In contrast, focal therapy targets only the cancerous foci within the organ. The procedure is ideal for patients where the cancer is clearly visible on an MRI, confined to a single area, and identified as moderately aggressive with a Gleason score of 7. This approach destroys the cancerous tissue along with a safety margin while preserving the healthy parts of the prostate.

Minimizing long-term side effects

One of the primary advantages of focal therapy is the significant reduction in side effects that typically diminish a patient's quality of life. Medical literature indicates that traditional surgery or radiotherapy carries a 10-21% risk of urinary incontinence and a 23-68% risk of erectile dysfunction. Focal therapy aims to eliminate these risks by protecting the surrounding nerves and structures. The procedure typically lasts 60-90 minutes under anesthesia, involves no surgical incisions, and usually requires only a single night of hospitalization.

A standard for the next decade

The success rates for this regional approach are comparable to more invasive methods. Data shows that after five years of monitoring, focal therapy remains effective and successful in 80-90% of patients, with a recurrence risk of only 10-20%. Based on increasing scientific evidence, the European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines have officially removed focal therapy from the "experimental" category. Prof. Dr. Öbek predicts that within the next ten years, focal therapy will become the standard for suitable patients, making the treatment of the entire prostate a thing of the past.

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