Nation's first ablation of prostate cancer a success

Medical experts from Shanghai Renji Hospital have reported the success of the nation's first nanosecond pulsed laser ablation on a patient with prostate cancer.

Using ultrasound, doctors inserted an electrode needle into the edge of the cancer and then generated a high voltage pulse to speed up the death of cancerous cells.

The 79-year-old patient had difficulty with urination over the past four years, and the symptoms became much worse in recent months. He went to Renji Hospital and was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

How to treat such an elderly patient with multiple underlying diseases was hotly discussed by doctors, as all traditional treatments have various problems.

Surgery would entail a large wound and slow recovery, while radiation therapy can cause complications like urination problems and stomachache. Medications also causes fatigue and a decline in muscle and thinking ability.

Dr Dong Baijun from Renji's urology department, said the incidence of prostate cancer is rising in China along with the change of lifestyle and the prevalence of screening.

However, traditional treatment like surgery, radiation therapy and medication have limitations, and some can impact the patients' long-term life quality.

"The clinical practice needs better treatment, which can precisely target cancerous cells while protecting a patient's body," Dong said.

Doctors decided to design a regional ablation treatment induced by heating of a target by nanosecond pulses of laser radiation. It is a first for such precise ablation to be used on prostate cancer in the nation.

The treatment ran successfully, and the patient was released the next day.

Doctors said such ablation is minimally invasive, retains a patient's function and results in a quick recovery, meeting the patients' demand of high life quality and customized treatment.