Innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of Prostate Cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, affecting one in every six men over the age of 65. Despite its high incidence, survival at 5 years is higher than 80% according to the SEOM (Spanish Society of Medical Oncology).
In most cases local, curative treatment is required. Sometimes, when the risk is low and depending on the patient’s age, active surveillance without treatment may be considered.
Early detection and accurate diagnosis of the disease is essential to determine the stage of disease in each patient and thus determine the most appropriate treatment, ensuring the best quality of life for the patient.
The team of Urologists at HC Marbella’s Prostate Unit recommend that male health checks be carried out from the age of 45. During this check-up, the urologist will carry out an assessment using a PSA test and rectal examination to determine whether there is any indication of the disease and whether imaging tests are required to rule out any suspicions.
In addition to prostate ultrasound, the most relevant imaging test for the diagnosis of prostate cancer is multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging. HC Marbella has the latest diagnostic imaging technology, with a 3 Tesla MRI delivering high-definition images, allowing abnormal tissue to be distinguished from healthy tissue. As a result, an expert radiologist can then assess the degree of suspected prostate cancer through a PI-RADS report and determine whether a biopsy of this lesion is necessary or not.
The most effective and safe system used to perform a biopsy is known as fusion biopsy. This technique consists of using the high-definition image provided by the multiparametric MRI as a guide and fusing it with a real-time ultrasound image. This enables the exact coordinates for sample collection to be established, performing more specific and safer biopsies in a shorter time. Thanks to fusion biopsy, we can detect the presence of prostate cancer in more than 85% of cases.
Prostate Cancer treatment.
Because it is a slow-growing tumour, and thanks to early detection programmes and advances in diagnostic systems, most prostate tumours are detected when they are localized. In these cases the recommended treatment is usually surgery or radiotherapy, both highly supported by scientific evidence and shown to be effective in curing and controlling the disease.
Increasingly accurate and safe radiotherapy accelerators have been developed that enable increasingly advanced treatments. HC Cancer Center has the latest generation TomoTherapy
which uses the Synchrony System. This radiotherapy enables precise delivery of the required radiation dose to the prostate or treatment area, being a non-invasive, surgery- and scar-free, treatment option which does not require admission to hospital.
Very few side effects
Due to the accuracy of this type of radiotherapy and precise planning by expert radiotherapists and radiophysicists, side effects can be greatly limited. The tumour is attacked with the lowest possible impact on the patient’s quality of life, allowing preservation of urinary and sexual function in most cases.
The patient decides the treatment.
It is important that prostate cancer treatment is planned through a multidisciplinary approach. At HC Marbella we have a team of experts from different fields who are specialized in the Prostate (urologists, radiation oncologists, radiophysicists, medical oncologists, general internal medicine specialists, etc.). They meet together as a committee to discuss the suitable treatment options for each patient. It is essential that all treatment options are explained to the patient, who together with their medical team will decide on the treatment best suited to them.
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