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Best Prostate Cancer Treatment Options If You Have BPH Symptoms
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Jan 30 10:08am | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for the comment. Since I don't yet know whether my Gleason score has increased, I need to see that first before deciding on a treatment. But, I have been also looking at focal treatments, like Tulsa Pro, in the event it needs treatment.
Just out of curiosity, why Rezum for the BPH treatment, as opposed to some of the other options like TURP, microwave, etc.? Also, what is your age?
As I understand it, the benefit of Tulsa Pro is that they can address both the BPH and the localized cancer during the treatment, and have lesser side effects. Does that sound correct?
The drawbacks of Tulsa Pro, as I understand it, is that the re-occurence rates of the cancer are higher than either surgery or radiation, it often is not covered by insurance, and there isn't yet enough clinical data to make it standard of care for treatment. Is that also your understanding?
Tulsa Pro does seem to be an interesting option for me. I am very active, including international travel, and it would be very difficult if I was constantly battling incontinence.
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I was 62 at Tulsa Pro treatment 2.5 months ago, now 63. Yes Tulsa is for BPH and localized cancer, perhaps the difference is Tulsa produces ablated tissue that can take up to 6 months to re-absorb so the BPH relief is slow and you may need alpha blocker for several months to 6 months still. I was told by the Mayo doc Rezum is quick, easy, and likely works well for my case, but he would go over more after my biopsy plus the alternatives. I never got there. The Tulsa recurrence rates don't differ that much from more radical treatments, but are slightly higher. That means utilize a guy that has done a lot because they know how to do the temperature at target lesion right, so that means they really work closely during procedure with a radiologist right there and a full team running the MRI and all. Tulsa has a medicare code already. It will be fully rolled into billing next January or a year from this writing, a rare few insurances cover it already but I can't tell you which one just a few people said they got it paid somehow in my reading. I think some doctors lean into new treatments, getting up to speed right away, plus have a setup with an MRI that isn't time limited and so on. Other doctors lean into traditional treatments so they don't have to bother with all that. As long as the one you select knows what they are doing is the best standard.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9231661/