5 years on: GreenLight laser therapy vs TURP

This study compared 5-year outcomes of two minimally invasive surgical techniques for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The study found that laser therapy was as effective as the current standard-of-care surgery.

BPH can lead to bothersome urinary symptoms that impact quality of life. Surgery is often needed to remove the enlarged prostate tissue and improve the flow of urine. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the most common surgery used for BPH. It involves the destruction of prostate tissue through a wire loop inserted into the urethra (the penile opening).

The GreenLight procedure is a type of laser surgery that may offer a less
invasive alternative to TURP. With this procedure, high-intensity pulses of light are passed through a fiber inserted into the urethra to vaporize enlarged prostate tissue. However, data regarding the long-term outcomes of this laser therapy are limited.

238 patients were randomly assigned to be treated either with laser therapy or TURP. After 5 years, data was available from 105 patients in total (44 laser therapy and 61 TURP patients). Prostate and bladder symptoms were measured.

At 5 years, improvements in prostate and bladder symptoms were similar in both groups. These included flow of urine and amount of urine left in the bladder at the end of emptying. 14.3% of the laser therapy group needed further treatment compared with 11.9% of the TURP group.

The study concluded that laser therapy was as effective as TURP surgery and may be a safe alternative treatment for BPH.