A 3D viewer guides the patient among the stars of the Milky Way or onto a Caribbean beach while, under local anesthesia, the laser does its work. At Turin's Molinette Hospital, they have begun "successfully" using the first focal therapy procedures for prostate cancer. The procedure combines virtual reality with Echolaser technology using TPLA (Transperineal Laser Ablation), which "represents a significant advance in the minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer: it allows for extremely targeted intervention on certain types of localized tumor lesions," they explained to Città della Salute.
To support local anesthesia, an augmented reality headset has been tested : to reduce stress, the patient is immersed in a virtual world of their choice (which could be the Milky Way, the Amazon rainforest, a Caribbean beach) complete with relaxing musical accompaniment. "It's not just a simple gadget for distraction," they point out at Città della Salute, "but a true tool for psychological support and pain management, which opens up new perspectives for invasive medical procedures."
The treatments were performed in the University Urology Department by Marco Oderda and Alessandro Marquis , among the first to implement this technique for the treatment of prostate cancer. "TPLA," a press release states, "consists of the transperineal insertion of thin laser fibers less than 1 mm in diameter. The fibers are positioned extremely precisely thanks to a fusion imaging system that combines ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The emission of laser energy allows for selective ablation of the area of the prostate affected by the tumor, preserving the rest of the gland. This way, the patient is not at risk of urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction."
For the leaders of the City of Health, "the introduction of focal therapy with TPLA at Molinette marks a significant milestone in precision medicine applied to oncological urology, and represents an important area of scientific research."
(Unioneonline)