“Urologists and patients are hampered by current ultrasound biopsy techniques. The problem is that despite taking numerous pieces of the prostate during the biopsy procedure, the doctor cannot be sure that he/she has adequately sampled ALL regions of the prostate, raising the concern that prostate cancer was missed. This concern often necessitates a repeat biopsy, where the problem is compounded: again, there is no certainty that all areas of the prostate are sampled, and the doctor may even be inadvertently sampling the SAME areas that were biopsied the first time. Now, with the Envisioneering system, the doctor and patient can have supreme confidence that all parts of the prostate are being adequately sampled the first time. And, if a second biopsy is needed, they can reliably be taken from wherever the Urologist wants--in different areas to see if cancer was hiding there or in the same areas if desired. This unique ability to specifically target all areas of the prostate allows Urologists to do better biopsies. It will also allow for targeted treatments of only the cancerous part of the prostate--an important advance for men who have tiny cancers and for whom removal or irradiation of the entire prostate is unnecessary, with too many side effects. The precisely targeted insertion radiation seeds or cryotherapy probes, which the Envisioneering system now provides, has the possibility of eradicating the entire cancer without the side-effects of current treatments. This will be a major advance for men with prostate cancer.”
Dr. Gerald L. Andriole, Jr., M.D. -
Chief, Department of Urologic Surgery
Washington University
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St. Louis, Missouri |
