← Return to Surgery? Radiation? Can I have an independent suggestion?

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@bjroc

Brachy sounds good as a choice, not sure, as I had BPH so it was not an option. Another option is Tulsa. There is also Vanquish at some clinical trials

Tulsa
https://tulsaprocedure.com/find-a-tulsa-pro-center/
https://tulsaprocedure.com/
If wondering about Tulsa Pro from a science point of view, here is a basic Tulsa science overview article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9231661/
Conclusions:
“As an alternative to conventional treatments, TULSA is safe and effective for prostate tissue ablation in men with primary PCa. There is also evidence that TULSA delivers effective relief of urinary symptoms while treating PCa in a single, low-morbidity procedure. The likelihood of freedom from additional treatment or potency preservation is associated with the planned ablation fraction.”
Tulsa or HIFU - what is the difference

Tulsa Pro uses some of the same ultrasound technology for the ablation as HIFU, but they are not alike. Tulsa Pro can handle a person with a fair amount of BPH, HIFU cannot. HIFU the lesion has limited locations that it can reach so the lesion is best if it is near the rectum, as it is done that way and only reaches a limited area in the prostate. There are other limits some places put on HIFU, and some places put limits on Tulsa too. These are limits the maker of the equipment has not put on using it, as the places doing studies almost always put more limits on who they accept. So bottom line is if you go to a place that is part of a study they may not accept you for TULSA or HIFU or Vanquish, where-as a private physician might. Meaning get multiple opinions.

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Vanquish
Something new and an alternative to Tulsa, can't speak myself to it, just to Tulsa. But it is something to read on if you are studying what to do.

Trials
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05683691

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Replies to "Brachy sounds good as a choice, not sure, as I had BPH so it was not..."

So this Vanquish utilizes water vapor….sounds like steam. A guy I know had BPH and said his dr was going to use steam; this was about 3 yrs ago so maybe it was similar.
I have not seen him since but I do know that he was not happy with the result and said he might’ve felt even worse. This went on for months and then we lost contact.
Sure hope they improved this technology!

I had the TULSA PRO procedure at the end of Nov. It was easy and almost painless except for my hips due to the position they had me in. I wore the catheter for two weeks with no problems. I had to go to OU Cancer Center in OKC, 4 hr. drive, for treatment. Locally I was only offered surgery or beam radiation. I did research and settled on TULSA and I'm happy I did. Dr. said he got all the cancer. I had 3 cores and classed as intermediate. PSA increased from 6.4 to 7.5 within two months so I decided to have it treated instead of worrying about it.