Novel Prostate Cancer Treatment, Pioneered at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI)

Filed in archive Cancer , Studies , Treatment on September 17, 2008

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A promising novel therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer is being pioneered in development and commercialization by scientists at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) in Toronto.

The said treatment is called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transurethral ultrasound - a treatment that utilizes heat from focused ultrasound to treat cancer in the prostate gland precisely while sparing the delicate noncancerous tissues around the prostate essential for healthy urinary, bowel and sexual function.

Sunnybrook researchers Dr. Michael Bronskill and Dr. Rajiv Chopra have licensed their innovation and formed Profound Medical Inc., which will develop the technology for clinical use.

Unlike surgical removal of the prostate, the treatment is minimally invasive and could be performed without a lengthy hospital stay. In preclinical studies, treatment takes less than 30 minutes. The therapy, on which clinicians at Sunnybrook will conduct preliminary testing in preparation for a clinical trial, could help limit the number of men living with the common, debilitating and often permanent side effects of surgery and radiation treatments currently used.

More of these invasive therapies are being performed now because improved awareness among younger men has converged with better clinical detection tools.

This treatment hopefully will provide faster and more precise treatment with fewer side effects compared to existing clinical alternatives.

Find more details from Sunny Brook Research Instistitute (SRI).