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British scientists have discovered that ultrasounds could treat early prostate cancer and may have far fewer side-effects than existing therapies.

A 41-patient study in the journal Lancet Oncology suggests targeted ultrasound treatment could reduce the risk of impotence and incontinence.

Researchers say it could transform future treatment if the findings are repeated in larger studies.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) in UK, which funded the study, welcomed the results, which it said were promising.

Each year 37,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Many face a difficult dilemma: the disease kills about 10,000 men every year, but for some it may not get worse if left untreated.

Standard treatment with surgery or radiotherapy involves treating the whole prostate gland, and can harm surrounding tissue, with a serious risk of side-effects, including urinary incontinence and impotence.

British scientists have discovered that ultrasounds could treat early prostate cancer and may have far fewer side-effects than existing therapies

British scientists have discovered that ultrasounds could treat early prostate cancer and may have far fewer side-effects than existing therapies

Doctors at University College Hospital in London have carried out the first trial using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) aimed at small patches of cancer cells on the prostate.

This was a “proof of concept” study involving 41 patients.

They used a probe, placed close to the prostate, which emits sound waves that heat the targeted cells to 80C, while causing minimal damage to surrounding nerves and muscles.

Hashim Ahmed, a urological surgeon at the trust who led the study, says the results, 12 months after treatment, are very encouraging.

“We’ve shown in this study that focal therapy – by targeting the individual areas of cancer – can avoid the collateral damage. We’ve shown that nine in 10 men had no impotence and none of the men in the study had incontinence of urine.”

Hashim Ahmed says the early evidence on cancer control is also very good. But he says this needs to be evaluated in much larger studies.

“This could offer a transformation of the way we treat prostate cancer. It could offer a cost-effective treatment for the NHS, and offer men with early prostate cancer an opportunity to treat their disease, but with very few side-effects.”

A patient on the trial, 72-year-old Robert Page, from Croydon, says his treatment, two years ago, was a great success.

“The outcome was very good,” he said.

“I was very pleased with the treatment and very happy with the lack of side-effects, particularly when I contrast that with what might have been the case if I’d had one of the other, alternative, treatments.”

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council, the Pelican Cancer Foundation and St Peter’s Trust.

Professor Gillies McKenna, director of the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, a joint collaboration between the MRC and Cancer Research UK, welcomed the findings.

“If these promising results can be confirmed in a randomized controlled trial, focal therapy could soon become a reasonable treatment choice for prostate cancer alongside other proven effective therapies.”

The chief executive of the Prostate Cancer Charity, Owen Sharp, also emphasized the importance of further research.

“We welcome the development of any prostate-cancer treatment which limits the possibility of damaging side-effects, such as incontinence and impotence. These early results certainly indicate that focal HIFU has the potential to achieve this in the future.

“However, we need to remember that this treatment was given to fewer than 50 men, without follow-up over a sustained period of time.

“We look forward to the results of further trials, which we hope will provide a clearer idea of whether this treatment can control cancer in the long term whilst ridding men of the fear that treating their cancer might mean losing their quality of life.”

 

Sonic blasts applied to the affected area could be the first permanent cure for impotence, claim scientists.

The sound-wave treatment is being hailed as an alternative to drugs such as Viagra and Cialis.

According to the scientists, the medication treats symptoms and the new sonic therapy tackles the cause.

Erectile dysfunction, which affects up to a quarter of men over 40, is most commonly caused by the hardening of the arteries, restricting blood flow.

Pioneers of the ED1000 treatment say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form.

Although the treatment sounds discomfiting – it involves directing pressurized sound waves directly on to the genitals – patients have been assured that it is pain-free.

Those undergoing the procedure, which involves 12 quarter-hour sessions over a nine-week period, are told to expect a tapping sensation as 100 blasts of sound waves are delivered each minute, followed by a tingling feeling afterwards.

Pioneers of the ED1000 treatment say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form and eventually to cure erectile dysfunction

Pioneers of the ED1000 treatment say the vibrations encourage new blood vessels to form and eventually to cure erectile dysfunction

Two years after the first trials, patients report that it has a long-lasting effect – although it is not understood why sound-waves have such an effect on the tissue that it begins producing new blood vessels.

Similar sonic waves are already used to destroy kidney stones, improve blood flow in heart muscle, and to ease the inflammation of joints.

Doctors in Israel used the same principles to pioneer the technique, but using lower-powered waves.

The treatment is now being offered in the UK for the first time at the private Spire Murrayfield hospital in Edinburgh.

The procedure cost is £1,500 ($2,400), plus consultation fees, for the sessions.

Consultant urological surgeon Roland Donat, who began treating patients last month, said the procedure was a “revolution” in the management of impotence.

Dr. Ronald Donat said: “I read the pilot study and thought, if this works I really want it for my patients.

“The ideal candidates are those who have a physical explanation for their impotence, such as hardened arteries or diabetes. It will not work if the problem is psychological or stress-related. But the results so far are really very encouraging.

“Men can be very severely affected by impotence and it can lead to relationship or self-esteem problems.

“The interesting thing is that the same device and technology is also being used to treat heart patients and those with leg ulcers.”

During initial trials in Israel, 20 men treated using sound-waves noted an improvement in their condition after around seven weeks.