Short answers to common questions. They are not a substitute for a consultation.
No. Active surveillance means careful monitoring without immediate curative treatment for suitable low-risk cancers. Focal therapy means intentionally treating part of the organ with an energy modality or seeds.
Many focal prostate procedures use general or spinal anaesthesia, but protocols vary. Some laser or HIFU platforms allow different pathways. Your pre-admission team will confirm the plan.
Energy-based treatments do not "spread" cancer in the sense of seeding cells along needles when standard technique is used. The real concern is undertreating higher-volume disease that MRI or biopsy did not capture. That is why patient selection and follow-up matter.
Any prostate treatment can affect sexual function and continence. The pattern depends on tumour location, how much tissue is treated, baseline function and the modality. Your urologist should discuss this using your MRI.
Eligibility is decided after review of imaging, pathology, organ function and often multidisciplinary discussion. This website cannot tell you if you are eligible.
Use the IRE (NanoKnife) page on this site for mechanism, videos and patient PDFs.
You can ask for a second opinion on imaging, diagnosis and treatment options before you decide.
