N. Mertziotis, President of the Hellenic Association of Focal Therapy (ΕΕΕΘ), co-authored a Best Practice Statement by the Focal Therapy Society, published in European Urology, on primary whole-gland ablation as a treatment option for clinically localized prostate cancer.
The paper is a systematic review of 29 studies (14 on cryoablation, 15 on HIFU) with a median follow-up of 72 months, reporting, among other findings:
- 10-year biochemical recurrence-free survival: 58%
- 10-year cancer-specific survival: 96%
- 10-year overall survival: 63%
- Erectile function preservation: 37%
- Pad-free continence: 96% (97.4–98.8% in the first year)
- Adverse events: stricture 11%, urinary retention 9.5%, infection 8%, fistula 0.7%, sepsis 0.8%
The authors conclude that whole-gland ablation shows a sound safety profile and oncological outcomes comparable to conventional treatments, supporting its use as primary therapy for appropriately selected patients with localized disease.
Journal: European Urology, vol. 84, issue 6, pp. 547–560 (2023) · DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.06.013
Authors: S. Deivasigamani, S. Kotamarti, A. R. Rastinehad, R. Sanchez Salas, J. J. M. C. H. de la Rosette, H. Lepor, P. Pinto, H. U. Ahmed, I. Gill, L. Klotz, S. S. Taneja, M. Emberton, …, N. I. Mertziotis, …, on behalf of the Focal Therapy Society.
The full paper is available on ResearchGate: Primary Whole-gland Ablation for the Treatment of Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: A Focal Therapy Society Best Practice Statement.