VTP TOOKAD®: focal therapy for prostate cancer treatment with a minimal risk of complications
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Patients with an established diagnosis of prostate cancer often face a difficult choice: either to undergo invasive treatment that may cause severe side effects or to choose a watchful waiting strategy while maintaining quality of life but risking disease progression. VTP TOOKAD® focal therapy is an innovative solution that allows for the destruction of tumor cells with a minimal risk of complications and a short recovery period.
Content
- Prostate cancer: incidence rates and risks
- Focal therapy and VTP
- Benefits of VTP
- Why do patients choose Germany for treatment?
- The cost of VTP prostate cancer treatment in Germany
- Availability and possibilities of insurance
Prostate cancer: incidence rates and risks
Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common type of cancer in men. The European Association of Urology (EAU) estimates that 1.4 million cases of this disease were diagnosed worldwide in 2020.
Approximately 365,000 people in the European Union are diagnosed each year, and about 77,000 of them die from the disease. The proportion of men with early stages of prostate cancer is, however, quite high and reaches 35%.
A systematic review of autopsy studies reported a prevalence of prostate cancer in men under 30 years of age at 5%, increasing at a rate of 1.7 per decade to 59% in men over 79 years of age.
Prostate cancer often occurs against the background of other chronic diseases such as hypertension, overweight, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, which mutually complicate each other. Smoking is also associated with a high risk of death from prostate cancer.
Early treatment for prostate cancer greatly improves a patient's chances of survival. In addition, timely detection and treatment can help reduce the risks of complications such as urinary incontinence and impotence, as well as preserve the quality of life for men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Focal therapy and VTP
The most common treatment for prostate cancer today is radical prostatectomy (RP), the surgical removal of the prostate along with the tumor. This approach, however, comes with a number of significant risks. Thus, in a 2022 study of 1,062 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, 310 (or 29.2%) experienced some form of postoperative complications.
Among the most common long-term complications following surgical treatment of prostate cancer are urinary incontinence (up to 40% of patients experience it) and erection problems (up to 69% of men experience it after radical prostatectomy).
A modern alternative to radical prostatectomy is focal therapy, in particular vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP). This is an innovative minimally invasive approach that only targets malignant areas of the prostate, preserving healthy tissue and minimizing the side effects often associated with conventional treatments.
The basis of the VTP procedure is the administration of a photosensitive drug into the blood, which is then activated by laser light coming through optical fibers. As a result, the blood supply to cancer cells is violated, and their destruction occurs. Healthy prostate cells remain intact. The effectiveness of this method is increasingly recognized in the medical community. For example, the proportion of the use of the VTP procedure in Germany increased significantly from 2006 to 2019.
The most common choice for this method is TOOKAD®, which was jointly developed by Steba Biotech and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, one of the world's leading centers for the development of medical technology. Today, TOOKAD® is used for treatment at leading medical centers in Israel, Germany, Italy, and the UK.
Benefits of VTP
Clinical trials involving patients from 10 countries, including Germany, have proved that TOOKAD® VTP treatment is safe and effective. At the same time, which is extremely important, it mostly allows for maintaining erectile function and normal urination in patients. The European Urology Focus published promising results in 2022 for patients who had low-risk prostate cancer treatment. The clinical trial showed that 71% of patients who underwent vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy were able to maintain their erectile function, compared with 30% of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Thus, VTP therapy for prostate cancer provides patients with a higher quality of life.
In addition, the VTP TOOKAD® procedure usually lasts about 90 minutes and allows patients to return to their normal lives within a few days. The recovery time after such a procedure is much less than after surgery.
As always with cancer treatment, the patient will need regular follow-up after VTP. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and a control biopsy are used to verify the effectiveness of the treatment.
Why do patients choose Germany for treatment?
Germany is a leader in the field of focal therapy for localized prostate cancer. In 2022, the country became the first to approve clinical guidelines for the use of this method.
Previously, due to the diversity of focal therapy methods and the lack of prospective controlled clinical trials, it was difficult to develop clear international guidelines for the work of doctors. Germany has been an innovator in overcoming this problem.
The latest update of the German guidelines for the treatment of prostate cancer includes a section on focal photodynamic therapy. It includes guidance on diagnosis, treatment, therapies, and follow-up. The document includes 12 statements and recommendations specific to the use of focal therapy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. With these guidelines, Germany is setting a new standard for the treatment of localized and locally advanced prostate cancer. The country offers a comprehensive and reliable basis for the implementation of focal therapy, where the VTP procedure plays an important role.
Germany is one of the first countries in the world to introduce VTP TOOKAD®. Extensive experience in the application of VTP for prostate cancer and comfortable conditions at local clinics are also weighty arguments in its favor.
The cost of VTP prostate cancer treatment in Germany
The price of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy for prostate cancer may vary from hospital to hospital and range from 8,000 to 15,000 euros. The cost of treatment in Germany for the innovative focal therapy procedure is influenced by a number of factors, including the complexity of the patient's case, the stage of the disease, the specifics of the individual treatment scheme, and the length of the hospital stay. In addition, the reputation and location of the hospital may also affect the price.
Among the best hospitals offering this procedure are the Hospital Nuremberg, the Asklepios Hospital Hamburg, the University Hospital Munich, the Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt, and the Helios Hospital Berlin. All these health facilities have state-of-the-art equipment and offer high-quality medical services.
Availability and possibilities of insurance
It is important to note that not all insurance packages cover VTP prostate cancer treatment. The Booking Health company helps patients from abroad to make the process as comfortable as possible. You will receive assistance with choosing a hospital, insurance covering possible complications or unexpected expenses during your treatment, and complete financial transparency. This service package allows patients to save up to 70% of the cost of treatment. Each patient also gets access to free consultations with doctors for three months after the completion of the main phase of therapy.
The importance of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer cannot be underestimated. Timely diagnosis significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and improves survival rates. If localized and detected early, prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate close to 100%.
Focal therapy, especially VTP, offers a promising innovative approach to the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Due to its minimally invasive nature, the VTP procedure preserves healthy prostate tissue, significantly reducing the risk of side effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
Moreover, with the development of clinical guidelines for the use of advanced therapies offered by Germany, the choice of treatment using VTP may be the best solution for you.
Take advantage of advances in prostate cancer treatment and consider the benefits of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy.
Choose treatment abroad and you will for sure get the best results!
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Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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