“Not all problems with the prostate are synonymous with cancer”

Many men have a deep-rooted idea that “if I don’t have discomfort, I don’t have to go to the doctor.” However, for urologist Jorge Saldaña Gallo, medical director of Urozen, periodic preventive exams could help prevent and solve problems related to prostate which can be complicated.

Trade He talked with the specialist about diseases related to the prostate and about a new technique that uses water vapor for cases of prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement) and that allows patients to recover very easily.

—If a problem with the prostate is suspected, is the possibility of cancer latent?

Not all problems with the prostate are synonymous with cancer. Many people say: “I better have surgery on my prostate to prevent cancer” or “I don’t touch my prostate because it can turn into cancer”. The prostate can have totally different diseases that are not related in origin. It is like thinking that a fibroid is the same as uterine cancer in women. The inflammation or prostatitis usually appears due to infections; and hyperplasia or enlargement of the prostate, which occurs as men age. Neither has anything to do with prostate cancer.

—While prostatitis can be treated with medication and dietary modifications, what alternatives are there for hyperplasia?

In addition to pharmacological treatments, there are surgical procedures such as open surgery – which is used less and less – and less invasive techniques such as the green laser or the holmium laser. Now we are using a new technique which is the Rezum.

“The prostate can have different diseases that are not related in their origin”

—What does this new Rezum technique consist of?

We use steam – its temperature rises to 104 °C – which is injected into the prostate. This allows the size of the prostate to be reduced without the need to remove it. It’s like turning a grape into a raisin. This guarantees the patient not to have ejaculation problems.

—For what type of patient is the use of this new technique recommended?

It can be used in any patient who has a prostate of less than 100 grams, which is 90%. It is increasingly being used in younger people, 40 or 45 years old, due to the excess of junk food. The important thing is that it allows you to undergo the procedure and the next day you can be working.

—How long does the procedure take?

It takes about 7 minutes. We usually use epidural anesthesia, but it can also be done with general anesthesia. The patient is usually awake and, if they like, watching the procedure. Then he gets up, gets dressed and goes home. He will need a catheter for the first few days, but the improvement is felt immediately.