CFM releases two new treatments for prostate cancer; understand

The CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) published a resolution on Wednesday (27) authorizing the use of two new treatments for prostate cancer in Brazil. Treatment consists of the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound and cryoablation, a procedure that destroys abnormal or tumor cells through freezing.

Therapies, called focal, have advantages over other techniques because they are less invasive and do not affect tissues adjacent to the tumor as much. The aim is to reduce the side effects of conventional treatments, such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, resulting from total or partial removal of the gland.

The standard's rapporteur, urologist José Elêrton Secioso de Aboim, states that the new techniques are not the gold standard treatment for this type of cancer, but that they can be effective in many cases. "It is a less invasive technique, capable of controlling or even curing cancer, with fewer negative impacts on quality of life, especially in relation to sexual and urinary functions", he explains.

However, the CFM warns that not all cases are indicated for the use of new treatments. According to the resolution, focal therapies are indicated for patients with favorable intermediate-risk, unifocal and unilateral prostate cancer, that is, tumors restricted to just one side of the gland and with a lower chance of dissemination.

The techniques can be applied to the treatment of patients already treated with external radiotherapy and for those with low-risk prostate cancer in specific cases. The recommendation must be made by a specialist. The rule prohibits use in unfavorable intermediate, high or very high risk tumors.

The CFM text recommends that patients undergoing focal therapy should undergo PSA measurement (Prostate Specific Antigen, a blood test to identify changes in the gland) every three months for one year. In the following two years, the control must be carried out every six months, becoming annual after this period. Patients must also undergo a random and systematic prostate biopsy between six months and twelve months after treatment, to prove its effectiveness.

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Source: CNN