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    美国Endocare宣布了一项关于特异性靶向消融术（焦点消融术）的新研究。这项技术在保留患者性功能和控尿功能的基础上可有效摧毁前列腺部位癌肿。

    焦点消融术是一种创新性且无需外科手术的消融技术。这项技术使用了Endocare Cryocare手术系统，可精确地瞄准、冰冻和摧毁肿瘤组织，周边的神经结构和健康组织则不受影响。

    这项发表在今年9月出版的《泌尿学杂志》上。

    加州Ventura市Community Memorial医院美国前列腺研究所所长，这项研究的首席科学家Duke K. Bahn博士说：“时下我们要更加警惕前列腺癌，我们发现这种疾病的发病年龄在提前，一些年轻人也患上了这种疾病。遗憾的是直到现在，这个日益增长的群体面对这种疾病几乎没什么选择：要么什么都不做，我们称之为“等死”，要么选择一些相当积极的治疗方式，包括前列腺切除术和放射治疗。从焦点冻融术中观察到的预后我们发现许多这类病人有了新的选择，不仅因为这是一项微创技术，而且它还能摧毁癌症，保留患者的性功能，维持其生存质量。在许多病例中患者甚至可以像门诊病人接受治疗。”

　　Endocare有限公司的董事会主席、总裁和首席执行官Craig T. Davenport声称，新数据显示对于某些前列腺癌患者而言，接受焦点冻融术后过上正常的性生活是有可能的。这为那些局部前列腺癌患者提供了一种新的选择。

    他说：“这种疗法不再伴有那些令患者某些功能弱化的副作用，如阳痿和尿失禁。这些副作用在一些积极疗法里很常见。我们相信焦点冻融术将填补这个治疗领域的空白，标志着前列腺癌治疗的巨大进步。”

Published Study Shows Focal Cryoablation Effective In Destroying Prostate Cancer, Preserving Potency, Continence
Main Category: Prostate News
Article Date: 29 Sep 2006 - 0:00am (PDT)
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Cancer / OncologyMedical Devices

Endocare, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ENDO), an innovative medical device company focused on the development of minimally invasive technologies for tissue and tumor ablation, announced today that a new study has demonstrated that specially targeted cryoablation, known as "focal cryoablation," may effectively destroy cancerous tumors in the prostate while preserving a patient's potency and continence. Focal cryoablation is an innovative and non-surgical type of cryoablation that uses the Endocare Cryocare Surgical System(R) to precisely target, freeze and destroy only cancerous tissue while sparing surrounding nerve structures and healthy tissue.

The study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Endourology, consisted of 31 men with a mean age of 63 who underwent the focal cryoablation procedure and whose disease was believed, through targeted and systematic biopsies, to be unilateral or confined to one sector of the prostate gland. At a mean follow-up of 70 months, 92.8 percent (26 of 28) remained biochemically disease-free and 96 percent (24 of 25) had no evidence of cancer on post-treatment biopsy. The one biopsy-positive patient had his prostate subsequently treated with full gland cryoablation and currently remains biochemically disease-free.

Follow-up for the study consisted of PSA measurement every three months for one year and every six months thereafter, with biopsies at six months, one year, two years, five years and following any three consecutive PSA rises.

Potency was completely maintained in 41.8 percent (13 of 27) of the patients and 40.7 percent of the others (11 of 27) were potent with erectile dysfunction drugs, for a total potency preservation rate of 88.9 percent. The patients experienced no other complications, such as incontinence. Potency was determined with a patient questionnaire, and only disease stage, not preoperative PSA or tumor differentiation was considered a potential contraindication.

"Today, we are much more vigilant in diagnosing prostate cancer and as a result we are identifying the disease earlier and in younger men," said Duke K. Bahn, M.D., the lead investigator of the study and director of the Prostate Institute of America based at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California. "Unfortunately, until now, this growing population has had few options: either doing nothing, which we often call 'watchful waiting,' or choosing one of several fairly radical procedures, including prostatectomy and radiation treatment. The outcomes we are seeing from focal cryoablation demonstrate that many of these patients now have a new option that not only is minimally invasive, but it destroys the cancer, maintains their potency and quality of life, and can even be performed as an outpatient procedure in many cases."

Endocare's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Craig T. Davenport, noted that the new data demonstrate that it is possible for certain prostate cancer patients to go on to lead normal and sexually active lives following focal cryoablation, which is a potential option for men whose tumor is confined to only a portion of the prostate.

"Studies continue to demonstrate what we have been hearing first-hand from a variety of urologists -- that focal cryoablation can destroy the disease while preserving the surrounding healthy tissue that is critical to normal sexual function," Davenport said. "This is very significant news for any man diagnosed with prostate cancer who is concerned about surgery or the side effects of radiation because it represents a new, minimally invasive, non-surgical option and does not include many of the debilitating side effects, such as impotence and incontinence, which can occur with more aggressive therapies. We believe that focal cryoablation fills a void in the treatment options available to patients and signals a tremendous advance in the treatment of prostate cancer."

编辑：蓝色幻想