An American medical technology firm has introduced a novel treatment in Hong Kong that uses electric pulses to kill prostate cancer cells while minimising the risks of incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
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AngioDynamics, of Latham, New York, said its NanoKnife system delivers “high-voltage, low-energy” electrical pulses to create irreversible electroporation (IRE), a form of damage that kills targeted cells. It was approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December.
“This allows a physician to destroy the targeted cells but preserve the underlying structure of the tissue,” said Jake Brumbaugh, the vice-president of oncology global marketing at the Nasdaq-listed firm.
“This unique mechanism of action means the NanoKnife system is extremely versatile, able to be used in any segment of an organ, even providing ablations across critical structures including nerves, the urethra and blood vessels.”
The voltage, typically in the range of 1,500 to 3,000 volts per centimetre between electrodes, varies depending on the tissue type and treatment plan, he said. The technology offers an alternative for patients whose cancer has yet to spread outside the prostate.
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Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide and the second most common among men, with 1.47 million new cases in 2022, according to the UK-based charity World Cancer Research Fund International. Nations that reported the most cases were the US, which accounted for 15.7 per cent of the total, followed by China at 9.1 per cent.