Prostate cancer treatments have advanced significantly in recent years, with new approaches that improve effectiveness and reduce sequelae for patients. Among the main advances are innovative drugs and minimally invasive surgical techniques.
According to oncologist Fernando Maluf, several types of medications have been approved in the last decade for the treatment of cancer. Among them are radioactive drugs, which enter the body and bind specifically to the tumor, releasing lethal doses of radiation directly to cancer cells.
“These are drugs that greatly improve disease control in very advanced stages”, highlighted Maluf in an interview with Dr. Roberto Kalil on CNN Vital Signs this Saturday (4). The oncologist also spoke about biological drugs, which inhibit the reconstitution of the tumor after interventions such as surgery, radiotherapy or hormone therapy.
These drugs, according to Maluf, are especially effective in patients with certain markers that indicate weakness in the tumor’s ability to reconstitute. It has also shown promising results, with antibodies that help the immune system fight cancer.
Robotic surgery reduces sequelae
In the surgical field, it has revolutionized procedures, especially in cases of prostate cancer. The technique uses small incisions and a robotic platform that provides an image magnified 15 to 20 times.
“You reproduce the movements of your hand in a miniatualized space, with articulated clamps, which filter out movement tremors. This allows you to perform a more precise surgery”, commented urologist Rafael Coelho.
Coelho highlighted a study carried out at the University of São Paulo that compared traditional prostate surgery with robotic surgery, demonstrating an almost two-fold reduction in the risk of developing urinary incontinence and approximately 40% to 50% less in patients undergoing the robotic procedure.
“Traditional prostate surgery, with the naked eye, did not allow adequate preservation of the muscles and nerves that are important for erection and urinary control”, stated the urologist, who concluded that the current objective of treatments against prostate cancer is not only to cure the disease, but to do so with quality of life.
