MRI Guided Focal Laser Ablation

Aytekin Oto, MD, MBA, presented “MRI Guided Focal Laser Ablation​” during the virtual 5th Global Summit on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer in September 2021.

How to cite: Oto, Aytekin. “MRI Guided Focal Laser Ablation.” September 2021. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/mri-guided-focal-laser-ablation/

MRI Guided Focal Laser Ablation – Summary

Aytekin Oto, MD, MBA, Professor of Radiology and Surgery and Chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Chicago, discusses MRI guided focal laser ablation for prostate cancer including challenges and future considerations. He first describes the benefits, technique, and trial data showing 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year follow up. Focal laser ablation is minimally invasive and targets lesions while sparing surrounding tissue and preserving options for future treatment. Dr. Oto notes that the goal of this therapy is to replace surgery and radiation, but not active surveillance. Currently, MRI guided focal laser ablation is offered at five centers in North America, is conducted mostly transrectally, and is sometimes reimbursed by insurance. Dr. Oto identifies several key challenges to this therapy: lesion mapping, monitoring and planning while in procedure, and high local recurrence. He states the importance of considering other ultrasound guided procedures and notes that one of the limitations of MRI guided focal laser ablation is underestimating prostate volume. For this reason, he introduces hybrid multi-dimensional MRI that may help address this issue. Dr. Oto concludes that MRI guided focal laser ablation is both a safe and feasible treatment and underscores the importance of imaging in determining patient eligibility and accurate planning. Lastly, he adds that local recurrence must be addressed in long-term follow-up.

The Virtual Global Summit on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer brings together key international opinion leaders of every clinical subspecialty involved in patient care. This event is an integral part of the AdMeTech Foundation’s Annual Summit, which was established in 2016 and became seminal in shaping the state of the art and future vision for precision care. The goal of this event is three-fold: 1) Educating the key stakeholders; 2) Supporting a sustained cross-disciplinary dialogue and consensus on the best emerging clinical practices and research priorities; and 3) Expediting clinical adoption of promising novel diagnostics and therapeutics. For more educational activities from this virtual event, visit our collection page.