Microwave Needle Thermoablation for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer

Conventional treatment options for localized prostate cancer include prostatectomy, radiotherapy and active surveillance. However, prostatectomy and radiotherapy carry certain degree of morbidity, including the risks of urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and injury to the surrounding organs like rectum and bladder. Active surveillance carries the risk of disease progression and psychological distress to the patients. Focal therapy employs the concept of only destroying the target lesion without treating other benign areas, resulting in disease cure in majority of cases with less treatment morbidity. Microwave treatment to the prostate has been performed since more than 20 years ago for benign prostatic hyperplasia and is approved by FDA in United States. It exerts its effect through thermal destruction of prostate tissue. Targeted treatment of localized prostate cancer using microwave needle ablation guided by MRI and Ultrasound imaging has been performed recently and was shown to be safe and effective. Our study aims to assess the effectiveness of this focal therapy in treating localized prostate cancer.