A Feasibility Study to Evaluate Magnetic Resonance Thermal Image-Guided Laser-Induced Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Focal Ablation of Prostate Cancer

Principal Investigator: Drs Scott Eggener and Aytekin Oto

Disease: Prostate Cancer

Research Description: In 2009, Cures Within Reach funded Drs. Oto and Eggener at the University of Chicago to support the first clinical trial repurposing a liver cyst laser device in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. The trial showed that the laser could precisely destroy the cancer without increasing risks of incontinence or impotence, commonly associated with other prostate cancer treatments. Nine patients completed this outpatient therapy with excellent outcomes, leading to larger, successful NIH-funded trials. This treatment is now routinely offered around the world. CWR’s early grant helped catalyze an institutional shift: the University of Chicago is now a global leader in focal therapy for prostate cancer treatment.