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Why would my doctors recommend surgery over radiation?

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Feb 10 6:38pm | Replies (36)

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@robo45vt

I know. But my doctors said that was experimental and doctors who did that wanted cash up front and me to bill insurance

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Replies to "I know. But my doctors said that was experimental and doctors who did that wanted cash..."

Well I worked in medical research and no things like Tulsa Pro are not "experimental". It even has a medicare code, if that is what you mean, though the medicare code won't go into effect till next January. Some insurance is covering it already, but I think not many. If you mean it isn't being done at average medical centers, well it is being done at Mayo now though Mayo doesn't put much into it just yet as they are letting others take the lead. Mayo and places like that try to lead in advanced cancer that have spread or metastasized, and that is very valuable to the world. Tulsa Pro is not for that. So I don't know what you mean by "experimental" as that word can have differing meanings. Tulsa will become widely available next year when anyone can buy the machine and bill insurance though it may start at medical centers that get it going, but that is not a very good criteria for meaning "experimental". Tulsa Pro is for localized PCa, so MRI and PSMA clears you that it hasn't spread. I have seen experimental diagnostic equipment and purely research based studies in my work, and it is well beyond that. It is coming out of an earlier stage, soon into the forefront in coming years as machines are bought, so not widespread till later, but it isn't experimental at this point.

Tulsa overview article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9231661/