Steam could potentially be harnessed to kill cancer cells in prostate cancer patients, researcher believe.
The clinical trial is designed for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, meaning that the tumour is localised in the prostate gland and has not spread to other organs.
Some patients with prostate cancer may not need any treatment if the cancer is small enough and slow growing. However, when treatment is necessary, traditionally, physicians have treated patients with either surgery or radiation.
These techniques are generally effective in treating the cancer, however, there can be side effects.
The prostate is located in between the bladder, the urethra (a duct that transports urine from the bladder) and the rectum. It is surrounded by numerous nerves responsible for penile erections and the muscle that controls urine flow, the urinary sphincter.
During surgery or radiation, there is a risk of injuring healthy tissue along with the cancer and damaging the delicate structures that lie next to the prostate.
The most common side effects of surgery and radiation are impotence, urinary incontinency and bowel dysfunction.
“The most common therapies for prostate cancer often cause life-altering side effects, and we are investigating if this new treatment may not only treat the cancer, but offer our patients overall better quality-of-life outcomes,” said Andre Abreu, Keck Medicine urologist and lead investigator of the Keck Medicine clinical trial site.
“While patients are happy to be free of cancer, the costs of the cure are very high. There is a growing amount of literature in the field suggesting that select patients could benefit from a procedure with fewer risks that allows them to maintain their quality of life after cancer.”
Heat is one therapy to help damage and kill cancer cells, and steam offers a targeted way to deliver heat into the body, according to Abreu.
Before the procedure, physicians use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to locate the tumour cells in the patient’s prostate. During the procedure, doctors use an ultrasound and prostate mapping to guide a thin catheter through the patient’s urethra and into the area of the prostate where the tumour is located.
Once the catheter is positioned, a fine needle is deployed in the tumour. Doctors then release a quick, targeted 10-second burst of steam from the needle, and more bursts as needed, to destroy the tumour.
“This procedure is thought to be much gentler on the body than traditional therapies and is designed to target the cancerous tissue within the prostate,” said Abreu.
“We are exploring if steam may be effective at destroying cancer cells without damaging the surrounding organs.”
Another potential advantage to the investigational therapy is that unlike surgery, which requires an overnight stay in the hospital, the water vapour therapy is an outpatient procedure. And unlike radiation, which usually involves multiple sessions, the water vapour therapy is designed to work using only one application.
“Over the next decade or so, we hope to see innovative therapies revolutionise how we help patients become cancer-free while maintaining their quality of life,” said Abreu.
