So, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid is currently working on a comparative study of two methods, magnetic resonance and Histoscanning, to determine which is most effective in diagnosing this type of lesion or whether, as early results seem to indicate, the ideal solution is a combination of both.
As Dr. Carlos Nuñez, head of Surgical Urology at MD Anderson Madrid, explains, “magnetic resonance gives greater specificity, which means that a lesion detected using this method will most likely be a tumor, but has low sensitivity, above all for tumors of intermediate aggression; on the other hand, Histoscanning is very sensitive and able to detect any abnormality in the prostate, but it has low specificity”.
For that reason Dr. Nuñez believes that the results will, foreseeably, indicate that “the right strategy is a combination of both techniques, even though the results will not be in for about six months”, estimates the head of Surgical Urology at MD Anderson Madrid.
To achieve the second aim, to carry out ever more localized interventions, MD Anderson Madrid has increased the volume of interventions focused on small, localized tumors that do not require complex treatments. Dr. Nuñez points out “we only treat the focus of the tumor, with a safety margin, and to do so we use a variety of techniques, like Cryotherapy, HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) and electroporation”.
Although they are not yet common procedures and are currently only used in carefully selected cases, Dr. Nuñez says the experience has been positive so far, because “we are obtaining magnificent results, we are controlling tumors without causing incontinence or impotence”. Furthermore, another great advantage of these new techniques is that “when facing another tumor, the treatments possible are not limited, as in the case of, for instance, radiotherapy”.