Profound Medical (NASDAQ: PROF; TSX: PRN) has announced that the world-renowned Mount Sinai Hospital, Metro New York (NYC), has successfully treated its first prostate cancer patient with the TULSA-PRO system.
The TULSA procedure represents a major advancement in prostate care, and is used by physicians to treat prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, also known as an enlarged prostate). Robotically controlled directional ultrasound is delivered from inside the urethra to precisely and gently heat prostate tissue to ‘kill temperature’ (55-57°C), while protecting surrounding nerves and anatomy. Real-time MRI thermography enables continuous visualization and autonomous temperature adjustment throughout the procedure. This level of precision allows physicians to tailor therapy to each patient, resulting in no procedural blood loss, no overnight hospital stay, and a quicker return to everyday life, while minimizing side effects typically associated with surgery or radiation, such as urinary incontinence and/or erectile dysfunction.
Michael Palese, MD, Chair, Department of Urology, Mount Sinai Downtown and Professor, Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Neil Rofsky, MD, MHA, Dr. Charles and Marilyn Newman Professor and Chair of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at the Mount Sinai Health System; Kyrollis Attala, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology and Christine Chen, MD, Associate Professor, Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, recently collaborated to perform the health system’s first TULSA Procedure, with the patient responding well to the treatment and being discharged the same day.
In a statement, Arun Menawat, CEO and Chairman of Profound, commented, “With this milestone, Mount Sinai continues to establish itself as a leader in robotic surgical care, becoming the first health system in the New York Metro Area to offer the innovative, AI-driven, MRI-guided, and incision-free TULSA Procedure to prostate disease patients.”
Ash Tewari, MD, MBBS, MCh, Surgeon-in-Chief, Tisch Cancer Hospital & System, Chair of Urology and Professor at the Mount Sinai Health System, remarked, “This unique collaboration between the Department of Urology and the Department of Interventional Radiology at Mount Sinai will pave the way for future studies and guidelines in prostate cancer and BPH using TULSA-PRO. Patients will have another option for best-in-class treatment of these complex conditions.”
Dr. Menawat added, “Today, interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or iMRI, is emerging as a way of transforming how complex procedures and unmet medical needs are addressed, and we believe TULSA-PRO has the potential to become a beacon of iMRI’s incredible future. What makes the TULSA Procedure unique is its ability to treat an unrivaled range of prostate diseases, severities, and aggressions, while preserving crucial functions like continence and sexual health. We are excited to welcome Mount Sinai as a valued TULSA-PRO site.”
