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Surgery for prostate cancer can be avoided
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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According to the results of the latest research, the new PSMA prostate scanning technology will help to exclude surgical intervention in case of prostate cancer.
To date, the new method is used only on an experimental scale: it is performed only in isolated variants. However, scientific representatives have already called on doctors to introduce prostate scanning technology into regular practical activities.
It all started simply: one of the patients sought medical help for a traumatic injury to the ankle joint. During the conversation, the doctor questioned the patient, inquiring, among other things, about his male health. The doctor's concern was not unnecessary: the patient was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.
At the clinical center, the patient underwent computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging: diagnostics showed that the tumor did not extend beyond the prostate gland. However, during the extended PSMA/PET-CT scan, such a limitation was not confirmed, so the treatment tactics had to be radically changed.
"I understand that the use of additional scanning helped save my life. After all, at that time the doctors did not know about the presence of bone metastases, and the treatment would have been in vain," the patient himself explained the situation.
Since the cancer had spread to the lymphatic and bone systems, surgical removal of the prostate would have been inappropriate and would have only added to the patient's pain and complications. Therefore, the man was prescribed courses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Professor Remy Lim, who has just completed a major two-year study of PSMA/PET-CT (funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation), pointed out the significant advantages of the unique imaging technology. The doctor found that one in four patients diagnosed with prostate cancer could be spared surgery that would otherwise be useless and incurable. “The unique scan uses a specific peptide called prostate-specific membrane antigen. It attaches to tumor cells and highlights the areas that are actually affected by cancer, such as lymph nodes and bones,” the doctor explained.
According to the professor, this diagnostic scanning method cannot be performed in a regular clinical institution today: the procedure requires a visit to a private specialized oncology center. The widespread introduction of this technology could lead not only to savings on useless operations, but also to optimization of treatment tactics for prostate cancer. We must not forget about the frequent adverse effects of prostate removal: for example, the patient often develops erectile dysfunction, urinary sphincter incontinence, etc. It is very important that doctors can make sure before the operation that the intervention is really necessary.
Information is presented on the pages https://medbe.ru/news/novosti-v-onkologii/skanirovanie-psma-pet-kt-izbavlyaet-ot-nenuzhnykh-operatsiy-pri-rake-prostaty/
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