PART ONE: How to Work Up a Focal Patient
Prof. Hashim Ahmed, Chair of Urology at Imperial College London, is an internationally renowned expert in prostate cancer diagnosis, imaging and biopsy. He is also well known for his expertise in minimally invasive therapies, such as HIFU, which he has been using for over 10 years.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Prof. Ahmed during the 2017 Sonablate User Group Meeting to discuss his best practices for HIFU focal therapy. Take a moment to hear from Prof. Ahmed on his process for identifying the ideal focal therapy patient.
Prof. Ahmed explains that the ideal way to work up a patient who is considering focal therapy is to first carry out a multiparametric MRI optimized for prostate cancer detection and diagnosis. This includes T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and contrast enhancement studies. The MRI must also be compliant to international guidelines.
Once the MRI is done and the presence of disease confirmed, targeted biopsies should be performed to sample any suspicious lesions scored as PIRAD 3, 4, or 5. Additionally, Prof. Ahmed recommends performing a systematic biopsy of the contralateral MRI non-suspicious areas to ensure those areas don’t have significant prostate disease that may impact the appropriateness of focal therapy.
If the MRI lesion(s) is confirmed on targeted biopsy to harbor localized clinically significant disease, the patient can be advised regarding the appropriateness of focal therapy as an effective treatment option.
Interested in learning more?
Keep an eye out for next month’s newsletter, where Prof. Ahmed will go into detail about how to deliver an ideal focal ablation.
APRIL 6-7, 2018 – Join Professor Hashim Ahmed at the 1st London Diagnostic & Focal Therapy Masterclass for Prostate Cancer. Click here for more details.