The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is supporting use of Boston Scientific’s laser therapy GreenLight XPS to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which could improve outcomes for patients and save the NHS a substantial chunk of cash.
According to the Institute, broad adoption of the Greenlight XPS Laser System over the current traditional surgical treatment, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), could generate savings of around £2.3 million and possibly up to £3.2 million annually.
This is because the laser therapy is typically done on an out-patient day-case basis and, according to findings of the GOLIATH study, is linked with fewer initial serious post-procedure complications and lower hospital re-admissions.
Welcoming NICE’s decision, Mr Gordon Muir, consultant urological surgeon, King’s College Hospital, London, England, noted that GreenLight XPS is “suitable for almost all men, even those who may not be deemed fit for conventional surgery,” and that the positive guidance will give more men access “and may allow surgeons to treat patients on an outpatient basis, with excellent outcomes and with fewer complications.”
More than 110 million men worldwide are diagnosed with BPH, an enlargement of the prostate that occurs naturally with age and is one of the most common diseases among ageing men. The condition causes a number of symptoms and, if untreated, can result in infections, renal failure and kidney stones.
