TUMT is found safe, effective alternative to surgery

Minimally invasive transurethral microwave thermotherapy using the ProstaLund Feedback Treatment system (PLFT; ProstaLund, Los Angeles) is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in patients with symptomatic BPH and persistent urinary retention, according to Scandinavian investigators.

Results of their prospective comparison study showed that symptomatic improvement, assessed with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), bother score, and maximum flow rate (Qmax), was slightly better in the surgery group, but the results were still favorable in men who underwent PLFT. However, PLFT was associated with a single serious adverse event judged as possibly or probably related to treatment, whereas surgery was associated with five such serious adverse events. At 6 months, two adverse events were reported in the PLFT group and eight in the surgery group, said co-author Jørgen Nordling, MD, of Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.

The IPSS in the PLFT group was 7.3 at 3 months, and remained at that level at 6 months. Mean IPSS in the surgery group was 5.1 at 3 months and improved to 4.4 at 6 months. Maximum flow rate at 6 months was 13.3 mL/sec in the PLFT group and 18.8 mL/sec after surgery.

"The results are consistent with the retrospective data and indicate that PLFT offers a needed alternative to allow men who may be unfit for surgery to avoid lifelong treatment with an indwelling catheter," Dr. Nordling said at the AUA annual meeting.

Mean time to catheter removal was 34 days in the PLFT group and 5 days in the surgery group. After 6 months, 79% of men who underwent a single PLFT treatment were catheter-free, compared with 88% of men who underwent surgery. The investigators plan to continue follow-up to 3 years to assess the durability of the treatment response.