FDA rejects TOOKAD focal treatment for low-risk prostate cancer

[Tall_Allen]

I updated this article to reflect the rejection this week of a kind of photodynamic therapy for low-risk prostate cancer. It was a good call, IMO.

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2017/01/...

Those interested in any focal ablative therapy (e.g., HIFU, cryo, FLA, etc.) should read this first:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2016/12/...

[Ahk1]

Thanks TA for the post. I think it makes sense.

[Gemlin_]

Must have been expected. Is there any focal therapy recommended for clinical practice in US? Not so in Europe.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Gemlin_]

The FDA would not approve HIFU for the treatment of prostate cancer. The HIFU manufacturers said, "if you won't approve our machines for the treatment of prostate cancer, will you at least approve it for the removal of prostate tissue?" So once the FDA approved it for that purpose, they couldn't stop urologists from using it in men who had prostate cancer. Insurance won't cover it, however. So Uros charge patients about $20,000 out-of-pocket per treatment, and it usually involves multiple treatments.

Cryo sometimes gets covered because there is a registry.

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

Cigna now covers HIFU.

[Philip_Craig]

Thanks for posting. I was one of the 50 at MSK that had this twice, both times they did not get it all.

[Adf2529]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[tallguy86]

Always grateful to you for posting articles and research outcomes and other issues related to Pca. Be well!

[garyi]

Thanks....facts are always better than rumors.