AngioDynamics has teamed up with the University College London Hospital (UCLH) in the UK to launch a prospective registry study evaluating the long-term effects of the NanoKnife system for treating unifocal intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
The system uses irreversible electroporation (IRE) technology to treat tumours by delivering high-voltage electrical pulses that create tiny pores in cell membranes, leading to controlled cell death without harming surrounding tissues.
The study aims to enrol up to 500 patients globally to validate the safety and efficacy of NanoKnife, building on existing single-centre research. It also seeks to assess how the system can reduce or delay the need for more radical interventions, helping preserve patients’ quality of life.
Research published in the BJU International journal highlights that traditional surgery leads to urinary leakage in 36% of men with prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction in 95%. By avoiding critical structures such as blood vessels and nerves, NanoKnife aims to treat tumours while minimising these effects.
The international registry will track patient outcomes over time and allow UCLH to quality control the dissemination of NanoKnife, explained Mark Emberton, professor of interventional oncology within the division of surgery and interventional science at UCLH. He added that it will enable them to learn from every patient treated and continue to refine the treatment that allows men to have their prostate cancer treated and “maintain their quality of life”.
UCLH was the first facility in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to use NanoKnife to treat prostate cancer and provide standardised patient selection, treatment, and long-term follow-up.
AngioDynamics senior vice president Laura Piccinini said: “This extensive prospective study will help support broader adoption, expanded treatment pathways, and increased patient access to improved treatment modalities for men in the UK with prostate cancer and help establish treatment with this technology as a standard of care.”
NanoKnife is also being evaluated in the PRIS clinical trial (NCT05513443), which is enrolling 184 prostate cancer patients to assess the feasibility of treating localised prostate cancer using IRE. Patients are diagnosed by MRI and targeted/systemic biopsies, and the study compares IRE with conventional radical treatments. The primary objective is to achieve local tumour control while minimising side effects.
Prostate cancer is typically diagnosed through a combination of PSA blood tests, digital rectal exams (DRE), and confirmed with imaging such as MRI, and a biopsy of prostate tissue. Innovations in prostate cancer diagnostics have been emerging, including saliva tests, and liquid biopsies.
