Leonard S. Marks, MD, presented “MRI Fusion Focal Therapy” during the 26th Annual Southwest Prostate Cancer Symposium conference on April 13, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
How to cite: Marks, Leonard S. “MRI Fusion Focal Therapy.” April 13, 2023. Accessed Aug 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/mri-fusion-focal-therapy/
MRI Fusion Focal Therapy – Summary
Leonard S. Marks, MD, discusses the use of MRI fusion technology to enhance the precision and effectiveness of focal therapy. This treatment targets and destroys cancerous tissue within the prostate while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. MRI fusion focal therapy integrates multiparametric MRI with real-time ultrasound to accurately localize and treat prostate cancer lesions. This advanced imaging technique allows for precise mapping of the prostate and identification of clinically significant tumors.
He emphasizes the advantages of MRI fusion focal therapy over traditional whole-gland treatments such as radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. This approach aims to reduce the risk of side effects commonly associated with more extensive treatments, such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
Dr. Marks also discusses the various focal therapy modalities that can be employed in conjunction with MRI fusion technology, including high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), cryotherapy, and laser ablation.
About the 26th Annual Southwest Prostate Cancer Symposium:
This conference educated attendees about advances in the management of localized and advanced prostate cancer, with a focus on imaging, technology, and training in the related devices. It included a scientific session, as well as live demonstrations of surgical techniques. You can learn more about the conference here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leonard S. Marks, MD, is Professor and inaugural holder of the deKernion Chair in Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he received his MD with AOA honors and his MA in Physiology in 1969. He served an internship and surgical residency at UCLA/Harbor General Hospital. For the following two years, he served on active duty as Lieutenant Commander in the US Public Health Service. He was named a Post-Doctoral Research Scholar at UCLA School of Medicine in 1973-4. He completed his Urology Residency at UCLA and was a Lecturer in Urology there in 1978, following which he entered private practice in Los Angeles. He re-joined the UCLA faculty full-time in 2009.
While in practice, Dr. Marks founded a non-profit research organization, the Urological Sciences Research Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, to further his academic interests. He became an original AFUD scholar in 1992 for work relating serum PSA levels to prostate histology. He received a Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) research award in 2000 for cross-cultural studies of prostate cancer. As an early advocate of multimedia in medical education, he served as Website Editor of Urology for The Gold Journal from 1998-2010. For his work in the scientific evaluation of alternative medicines, he was appointed to committees of the American Urological Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Over the past decade, he has been Principle Investigator of three separate R01 Awards from the National Cancer Institute devoted to targeted prostate biopsy and focal therapy of prostate cancer. He has authored more than 150 scientific publications.
