Minimally Invasive Diagnostic Investigation Complements Atraumatic Prostate Therapy; Heidelberg Clinic Largely Foregoes Problematic Biopsies; Low-Risk And Accurate Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer
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A patient is diagnosed with cancer every minute in Germany. There are 436,000 new cases and 208,000 deaths every year in Germany. With nearly 60,000 cases, the most common cancer in men is prostate cancer (PCa). For men over age 45, doctors recommend receiving an annual physical with tactile examination of the prostate, a urine analysis, a sonography of the bladder and kidneys, as well as determination of the PSA value. PSA stands for "prostate specific antigen" and has become the most important identifier in urology. An elevated PSA value can be, but is not necessarily, a sign of a prostate tumour. For this reason, an even slightly elevated PSA value will often prompt a prostate biopsy of the rectum.
However, the accuracy of the ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy of the rectum is relatively low and is also associated with significant risks. Often three or more procedures, for each of which up to 30 samples are taken from the prostate, are necessary to diagnose prostate cancer. These procedures can lead to bacterial influx in the bloodstream, which can also cause life-threatening blood poisoning (septicaemia). There is also the risk of cell seeding. This clinic for prostate therapy uses special non-invasive investigative methods, which make a prostate biopsy unnecessary in many cases. In doing so, the negative effects of a biopsy can be avoided on the one hand, and false negative results can be avoided on the other.
Using the most modern laboratory methods, tumour activity in the blood can be detected from a simple blood sample. Statements regarding treatment options can be made in advance from the thus determined tumour status. Furthermore, with the help of special urine analysis, certain gene sequences in prostate cells can be detected that are typical for cancer. A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate can also accurately locate small prostate carcinomas to enable a precise treatment, in which healthy prostate tissue can be preserved. The best-proven technology at the Heidelberg Clinic for Prostate Therapy is the ultrasound elastography, which is an ultra-modern diagnostic procedure for prostate cancer. If the diagnosis of prostate cancer is made, this can be gently treated using the method of high-intensity ultrasound (HIFU) without invasive surgery. The method has a high chance of recovery.
Founded nearly twenty years ago by the urologist Dr. Joachim-Ernst Deuster, the clinic for prostate therapy has been passed on to the two urologists Dr. Thomas Dill and Dr. Martin Löhr.
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