Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Focal therapies have emerged as minimally invasive alternatives for localized prostate cancer (PCa), particularly in low-risk patients with unifocal disease and those with post-radiation recurrence. These treatments selectively target and destroy the diseased area while preserving surrounding healthy tissues. Cryoablation, in particular, requires optimal cryo-needle placement to ensure effective tumor ablation while minimizing damage to adjacent structures. However, accurately predicting the shape of the freezing isotherm presents a significant challenge due to various patient-specific factors, such as proximity to heat sources and unique thermal properties of the prostatic tissue and its surroundings. Insufficient planning and execution have been linked to many patients experiencing tumor recurrence following focal therapy. Consequently, there is an urgent need for an advanced and precise solution to overcome these limitations and improve patient outcomes. This project aims to develop and implement a clinically ready planning software for focal cryoablation. This project will amplify the benefits of employing MRI guidance in focal therapy, not only for cryoablation, but we also expect to extend the software to other ablation modalities. The student will integrate the current algorithm into the clinical workflow used in MRI-guided focal cryoablation and evaluate our algorithm using retrospective data of 60 patients who underwent prostate cryoablation in our department, correlating intraprocedural images with clinical outcomes.