Nonsurgical Treatment for Prostate Enlargement Underway

A nonsurgical treatment for prostate enlargement via pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) is underway and will be available soon.

This is cheerful news for old people who are vulnerable to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is a urological condition caused by a benign increase in the size of the prostate as men get older. A recent study on dogs with BPH offers hope for a non-invasive option to treat an enlarged prostate.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment FAQs
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or Benign Enlargement of Prostate (BEP) is an increase in the size of the prostate. The prostate is a walnut sized gland that is part of the male reproductive system.

Men suffering from BPH struggle with urinary tract problems, urethral obstruction, urine blood and sexual dysfunction.

Researchers carried out a non-invasive treatment trial on dogs with BPH. The trial was a success since it was able to reduce the size of the prostate gland, and the researchers hope this would work for humans too.

The new methodology used in the trial on dogs was pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), which is a noninvasive treatment method that generates both an electrical and magnetic field and is currently in use in orthopedics, neurology, and urology.

The dogs involved in the study were treated with PEMF for 5 minutes, twice a day for three weeks. The device was just held over the skin of prostate location.

Prostate Cancer Screening
PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test and Digital Rectal Examination are two tests that allow detection of prostate cancer at early stages.

There was tremendous progress in reduction of the size of the prostate of about 57% in dogs. There was no compromise in semen quality, libido or the levels of testosterone.

Doppler studies showed a reduction of peripheral blood resistances and a progressive reduction in blood flow resistance in the prostatic artery dorsal branch.

Prostate Specific Antigen [PSA] & Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
PSA blood test is specific to prostate gland but not necessarily a cancer specific test but is commonly used to diagnose prostate cancer.

Raffaella Leoci, lead author of the research, said, “Previous studies have suggested that reduced blood flow to the prostate gland and resulting inflammation contribute to the development of BPH. We know that PEMF has positive effects on similar conditions, so we thought it might also heal BPH or may be even prevent BPH from developing.”

The study appeared in the journal The Prostate.

Genetic Testing may be Used to Identify BPH Patients With Increased Risk of Prostate Cancer
A new study has revealed that patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) carrying prostate cancer a (PCa) risk alleles are a potential target population.

Source-Medindia