Targeted prostate cancer ablation: energy options

Purpose of review Prostate cancer screening practices are providing new opportunities for earlier diagnosis, and for identifying smaller tumours with low probability of regional involvement and high likelihood of curability. Simultaneous innovations in tissue ablation technologies offer the potential for effective targeted treatments to discrete areas within the prostate, with negligible side-effects. This review provides an overview of recent data on developing options for prostate cancer ablation, the mechanisms of action of these modalities and results to date of these treatments. Recent findings Advances in diagnostic imaging and image-guided biopsy techniques hold the promise of more accurate localization of cancers within the prostate and a shift in the field of prostate cancer treatment towards an interest in less invasive, localized treatment options. Several energy ablative technologies, currently being tested in clinical trials, are likely to play a greater role in the treatment of patients with smaller, earlier stage tumours. Summary Although none of the advances in cancer detection, targeted imaging or focal treatment have yet proven to be game-changing, together, they have contributed to a movement towards less invasive, focal treatment for prostate cancer and a growing awareness of the potential clinical benefits of this form of therapy.