With targeted transperineal biopsies – a more efficient, less invasive and safer way to screen for prostate cancer – the American Hospital of Paris adopts an innovative diagnostic technique and reaffirms its pioneering spirit.
The Prostate Center of the American Hospital of Paris is the first center in France to perform targeted transperineal prostate biopsies using image fusion technology as a routine component of care for all patients.
Prostate cancer is a top priority for the Urology Unit of American Hospital of Paris, whose aim is to achieve the highest possible recovery rate while reducing residual effects to a minimum for the patient.
The Prostate Center of the American Hospital of Paris offers fully integrated treatment featuring highly innovative techniques in biopsy and minimally invasive surgery, radiation therapy and soon in genetics. This is coupled with a simplified care pathway based on close cooperation between the Hospital’s medical imaging, nuclear medicine and medical oncology departments and the Porte de Saint-Cloud radiation therapy center.
Transperineal biopsy, an innovative and pain-free technique performed under local anesthesia, lowers the hospital-acquired infection risk to almost zero, while its high level of precision helps avoid overtreatment.
The procedure, seldom used in Europe, is performed by a urologist and requires extensive specialized training as well as ultra-sophisticated equipment. The ultrasound system used for the biopsy fuses MRI and ultrasound images. When cancer is suspected, the practitioner removes targeted tissue samples by passing through the pelvic floor skin instead of the rectum. The American Hospital of Paris is the only establishment in the Paris region to offer this diagnostic technique.
In addition, transperineal biopsies pave the way for major therapeutic opportunities, soon to be the focus of a European clinical trial in which the American Hospital of Paris will participate. The purpose of the trial will be to test focal therapy on small tumors, based on very precise specifications. This targeted non-invasive strategy uses microwave therapy, focal laser ablation
or cryoablation to reach and eliminate only cancerous lesions without removing the prostate, thereby avoiding sometimes unnecessary treatments leading to severe side effects for the patient.
Overtreatment is one of the main challenges of treating patients with prostate cancer. Thirty to 40 percent of prostate cancers require no treatment, only active monitoring. But it is essential to guarantee individualized medical and psychological support to these patients, too. At the Prostate Center, our goal is to take care of patients in the true sense of the term, and not to treat solely their disease. This also applies to patients on the other end of the spectrum, whose therapies produce side effects that impact their well-being and quality of life. This approach embodies the vision of medicine advocated by Professor François Haab, Chief of Urology at the American Hospital of Paris: “We take care of each patient, attending to every aspect of their being, to ensure the most efficient and effective treatment possible.”
