PHOENIX — A new treatment for prostate cancer being used in Arizona could reduce the side effects experienced by patients, a doctor said.
PHOENIX — A new treatment for prostate cancer being used in Arizona could reduce the side effects experienced by patients, a doctor said.
“All the treatment modalities currently available for the treatment of prostate cancer have high side effects — there’s a high risk for erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence — either with radiation or surgery, but with the [high-intensity focused ultrasound] treatment, the risk of side effects is much lower or minimal,” Dr. Kashif Alvi said.
Alvi practices at Urological Surgeons of Arizona, the first facility in the state to offer the ultrasound treatment that kills cancer cells using focused sound waves.
He said the procedure reduces side effects — such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction — because it does not require an incision.
“You are basically treating … one of the areas and are not causing damage to the nerves or any of the surrounding tissues,” he said.