Minh Tran, one of Prof Stricker’s fellows, recently presented the results at the American meeting on how to select patients for focal therapy using a high-quality multiparametric MRI and transperineal biopsy.
It was shown that in appropriate cases one could be confident of patient selection. It was felt that approximately 20% of patients who came up with prostate cancer would be suitable for this therapy based on the criteria of having a small focal cancer of the prostate of significant grade where the rest of the prostate was clear. The results also showed that approximately 4% of patients who are appropriately selected for this treatment would have a small residual tumour in the other lobe of the prostate. It was felt as this treatment is repeatable and patients would be monitored that a small number of people would be picked up at a later stage.