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Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) for Prostate Cancer

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Interventional Urology

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Abstract

Electroporation is a novel ablative technique with the potential to overcome the main disadvantages of other ablative methods. It utilizes electric pulses, traveling between two or more electrodes, to create “nanopores” in the cell membrane. If the applied current reaches a certain threshold, these nanopores become permanent, resulting in cell death. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has been shown to be effective and safe in destroying tumor cells while sparing tissue architecture and minimizing damage to blood vessels and important urological structures such as neurovascular bundles. This is an advantage because conventional surgical and some ablative treatment options for prostate cancer can have a high incidence of incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and bowel damage. These side effects often impair the quality of life of prostate cancer patients and impact a patient’s decision to undergo early, potentially curative, interventional treatments. New treatments that limit damage to these structures have the potential to improve patient outcomes. The first human studies have proven the safety of IRE for the ablation of prostate cancer and show encouraging rates for preservation of function.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urology Department, Hôpital Louis Pasteur, Chartres, France

    Luca Lunelli

  2. Department of Urology, Hôpital Tenon, APHP, Institute of Cancerology, Sorbonne University, Paris, France

    Luca Lunelli & Olivier Cussenot

  3. Department of Urology, Medipol Mega University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Jean J. M. C. H. de la Rosette

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Jean J. M. C. H. de la Rosette

Authors
  1. Luca Lunelli
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  2. Olivier Cussenot
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  3. Jean J. M. C. H. de la Rosette
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Urology and Radiology, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Ardeshir R. Rastinehad

  2. Vascular & Interventional Radiology, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, New Hyde Park, NY, USA

    David N. Siegel

  3. National Cancer Institute & Clinica, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Bradford J. Wood

  4. Lefrak Center for Robotic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Timothy McClure

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Lunelli, L., Cussenot, O., de la Rosette, J.J.M.C.H. (2021). Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) for Prostate Cancer. In: Rastinehad, A.R., Siegel, D.N., Wood, B.J., McClure, T. (eds) Interventional Urology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73565-4_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73565-4_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-73564-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-73565-4

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