Prostate news article, November 2004
| TRANSURETHERAL
MICROWAVE THERMOTHERAPY (TUMT) VS TRANSURETHERAL RESECTION (TURP)
FOR TREATING BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA: A SYSTEMATIC
REVIEW.
R M Hoffman, R Macdonald, M Monga, and T J Wilt. Reviewed by: Mr Zach Dovey, MRCP FRCS |
A group of investigators from New Mexico and Minnesota in North America have recently taken an overview of a number of studies to assess the effectiveness of microwave therapy, a relatively new treatment for prostatic obstruction and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), as compared to the more traditional transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).
Microwave therapy is a minimally invasive technique that delivers microwave energy via a urethral probe to the prostate. This produces tissue necrosis, reducing the size of the prostate and relieving the bladder outflow obstruction. Other studies prior to this one had shown that TUMT may have fewer complications and shorter hospital stay as compared to TURP.
The investigators looked at 6 different trials involving 540 patients and assessed the results in terms of the symptom score, urinary flow rates, complications and need for re-treatment. They found that TURP was the more effective treatment at improving the symptom score and the urinary flow rate whereas TUMT tended to cause less complications (specifically retrograde ejaculation and postoperative blood transfusion). In the long term, however, patients who had opted for TUMT were more likely to need further treatments in the future.
The overview concluded that TUMT is a safe and effective alternative to TURP for treating BPH although TURP patients had greater symptomatic and flow rate improvements and were less likely to require re-treatment.