Cryoablation as Effective as Radiation for Prostate Cancer
By HospiMedica staff writers
Posted on 29 Mar 2001
Five-year data show that cryoablation was virtually as effective as radiation therapy in eliminating prostate cancer in lower-risk patients and can be more effective than brachytherapy in eliminating the disease in medium- to high-risk patients. The study was published in the March issue of Urology.Posted on 29 Mar 2001
The five-center study, involving 975 patients, showed comparable results for cryoablation and radiation therapy. The cryoablation used in the study was the Cryocare system of Endocare (Irvine, CA, USA ). These positive results were produced in the study despite the fact that doctors used a number of cryosurgical technologies and techniques, some of which are dated and have been shown to be less effective than current state-of-the-art methods and tools, noted the lead investigator, Dr. John P. Long, director of urologic oncology, Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA, USA).
"The data not only validate cryosurgery as a viable, and many times, preferable option for the treatment of prostate cancer, but they also indicate that targeted cryoablation using the latest imaging and monitoring techniques is providing better outcomes with fewer side effects than ever before,” said Paul Mikus, president and CEO of Endocare.
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