The condition of benign prostatic hyperplasia of the prostate area is becoming increasingly common among male’s patients around the world. Often, the ailment affects elderly patients which makes surgical treatments such as prostatectomy risky, owing to complications arising from the presence of coexisting medical issues.
As a result, alternative treatments including balloon dilation, transurethral thermal therapy, and laser beam therapy, among others are rapidly gaining interest in terms of research and clinical trials. Moreover, factors such as poor lifestyle choices and hereditary health conditions are also playing key roles in the increased risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia and consequently, steadily increasing incidences among men are likely to remain instrumental in growth of the benign prostatic hyperplasia prostate treatments market in the near future.
Growing Preference for Minimally Invasive Treatments Increase Options
Rapid advances in medical technology are encouraging the use of non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures in different sectors of the healthcare field. This trend has also encouraged researchers studying benign prostatic hyperplasia to develop similar procedures.
For example, the researchers in the Health Dept. of the University of California – San Diego have initiated the services offering non-surgical solutions to men who are suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia. This is one of the first medical centers to provide prostate artery embolization, a procedure that uses catheters in arteries to block blood flow to the prostate, thereby relieving symptoms and reducing the size of the prostate. This procedure is claimed to be a comparative alternative to surgery, while reducing operating cost, pain, and completely eliminating the need for hospital stay.
On a similar note, the use of greenlight lasers are also gaining popularity as a minimally invasive treatment process, which involves the use of high powered lasers integrated with specialized fiber optics to vaporize the excess growth of prostate tissue in a controlled manner. The process takes very little time, relieves symptoms, and boosts urinary flow without lasting side-effects.
For patients with small to medium sized prostates, or those with a large median lobe, the procedure of using holmium laser vaporization is widely being considered as an effective treatment option, which provides the advantages of being minimally invasive, in addition to causing relatively lesser bleeding during the procedure.
The UroLift procedure is another cutting edge, minimally invasive treatment. Its unique approach is aimed towards patients with prostate volumes up to 80 grams, provided that the median lobe is not obstructing or protruding. The process involves the pinning of the excess tissue to the sides of the prostate capsule, instead of the conventional practice of physically getting rid of the extra prostate tissue.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Enter the Market with Effective Treatments
Aside from surgical practices, therapeutic and pharmaceutical products are also expected to play a larger role in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in mild to moderate stages of the disease. Alpha blockers are some of the most commonly used medications for treating this ailment. They are effecting in relaxing muscle fibers in the prostate allowing easier urination.
Alternatively, healthcare providers are also prescribing long-term administration of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, by minimizing or stopping the effects of body hormones that affect the growth of the prostate. Moreover, combined drug treatments including 5-alpha reductase inhibitors with alpha blockers are also showing promise.
Prohibitive Costs Restrict Treatment Adoption
While minimally invasive procedures and drug therapy are comparatively cheaper to open surgical procedures, costs for benign prostatic hyperplasia are far from affordable. The growing number of geriatric males around the globe, and consequently the higher incidences of benign prostatic hyperplasia are anticipated to create a spike in the prices for surgical procedures and treatments.
Depending on the severity of the condition, the cost for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia can vary greatly. These factors are projected to create significant challenges in the industry, and limit growth in the market for the foreseeable future.
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