Health Spotlight: Minimally invasive procedure for prostate cancer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. Almost 35 thousand men will die from it this year. It develops when abnormal cells form and grow in the prostate gland.

Now, there is a new minimally invasive procedure that targets these cells.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men 65 and older. Traditional treatment includes chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation. Urologist Ruben Olivares specializes in prostate cancer and is an early adopter of a new procedure to treat it.

“We start the treatment with the passage of current between the electrodes. The main idea here is the electrical current, it’s able to break up the cell wall.”

The nanoknife, also known as irreversible electroporation, enables surgeons to treat the cancerous part of the prostate only. Instead of heat, electric pulses destroy the tumor, leaving the surrounding healthy tissue and minimizing side-effects, which makes it easier to return to normal life,

Based on the published data, Doctor Olivares says the nanoknife is very safe and has a very low complication rate. He does warn as with any prostate treatment, there is some danger of infertility, so men should preserve sperm before the procedure.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.