Launch of our new results system to evaluate all surgery for the enlarged prostate

You are here: Home » Launch of our new results system to evaluate all surgery for the enlarged prostate

Birmingham Prostate Clinic has launched a new study to evaluate surgical treatments for the enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH).

We already have an established and nationally renowned results system for prostate cancer surgery and now the same principles are being applied to BPH surgery.

“There are several different surgical options for the treatment of BPH,” explains Alan Doherty, consultant urologist and founder of BPC.

“Urologists tend to specialise in and favour particular approaches and it can be difficult for patients to evaluate which treatment is best for them.

“Measuring all approaches in precisely the same way means we will be better placed to evaluate what we do and to judge the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different types of surgery.”

The initial focus will be on gathering outcome data, which will be led by BPC advanced nurse practitioner Mary Kirkham. Once a good volume of data has been built up, the results will be published on the BPC website, as is the case for the prostate cancer surgery results.

The BPH treatment study will evaluate the following treatments: GreenLight laser surgery, GreenLight laser surgery with trim TURP (trans-urethral resection of the prostate), TURP and UroLift.

The study is based on Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) which means the results that matter to patients. Patients report: whether their urinary symptoms have cleared (and whether fully or partially) and whether the patient has experienced any unexpected complications due to the procedure.

The patient is also asked to evaluate the procedure as a whole: whether they are delighted with the results, whether they have a mixed view on the outcome or whether they regret having the procedure.

“Surgery for BPH is of course very different to prostate cancer surgery,” explains Mr Doherty. “When I discuss surgical treatment for BPH with my patients, questions are usually along the lines of – will it be worthwhile? Do potential benefits outweigh potential risks?

“We might expect – although we don’t yet have the data to show – that some approaches may produce a higher level of unexpected complications but be more effective in terms of fully clearing all symptoms.

“Equally, we might expect to find the least invasive approaches produce little or no complications, but may not be as effective in terms of addressing symptoms. Having this study in place means we can measure this, rather than make assumptions and equally to see how patients answer the key question – was it worthwhile?”

Our clinic has a national reputation for GreenLight laser surgery for BPH, being one of the first providers to introduce this approach in 2007 and now having completed more than 700 procedures.

We use the third generation XPS laser technology and have developed a combination of laser surgery with trim TURP for men with larger prostates/men who are in urinary retention. Our team also provide the TURP and UroLift.

Launch of our new results system to evaluate all surgery for the enlarged prostate

Categories

Tags

Archives