Prostate Cancer Is More Than a Local Tumor
Prostate cancer is still often viewed primarily as a local problem: a tumor develops within the prostate and is then removed, irradiated, or destroyed. In our view, this perspective is too limited.
At VITUS, we do not regard prostate cancer as a purely local disease. Even when the visible tumor is initially confined to the prostate, it exists in close interaction with the entire organism. Tumor biology, immune responses, inflammation, micrometastases, and potential systemic mechanisms of spread must therefore be considered from the very beginning of treatment planning.
Our goal is not simply to treat tumor tissue locally. Our goal is to understand prostate cancer biologically and use that understanding to develop the most precise, individualized, and minimally invasive treatment strategy possible.
Precision Begins with Diagnosis
Effective treatment requires a thorough understanding of the tumor. For this reason, treatment at VITUS begins with comprehensive diagnostics, including advanced imaging, detailed evaluation of findings, and—when necessary—highly precise biopsy procedures.
Only when the location, extent, aggressiveness, and biological characteristics of the tumor have been accurately assessed can an informed treatment decision be made. Not every patient requires the same therapy. And not every treatment that is technically feasible is medically appropriate.
Learn more on our Prostate Cancer Diagnostics page.
Focal Therapy: Targeted Treatment While Preserving Quality of Life
A key component of our approach is focal therapy. Rather than automatically removing or irradiating the entire prostate, focal therapy targets the clinically relevant tumor area as precisely as possible.
Preserving quality of life is particularly important. Urinary continence, sexual function, physical performance, and recovery time are critical considerations for many patients. Therefore, we prioritize treatments that effectively address tumor tissue while preserving healthy structures whenever possible.
One of the most important of these techniques is Irreversible Electroporation (IRE), commonly known as the NanoKnife® procedure. Learn more on our IRE Therapy with NanoKnife® page.
Electroporation as a Biological Intervention
For us, electroporation-based treatments are more than technical methods of local tumor control. They reflect a broader biological understanding of cancer.
During Irreversible Electroporation, tumor cells are disrupted by electrical fields while important structures such as nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue are largely preserved. In Electrochemotherapy, electrical impulses are used to increase the uptake of certain therapeutic agents into tumor cells.
These techniques are particularly interesting because their effects may extend beyond local tumor treatment. The destruction of tumor cells can release tumor components that are relevant to the immune system. Under certain circumstances, a local treatment may therefore also provide an immunological stimulus.
Mehr zu diesen Verfahren erfahren Sie auf unseren Seiten zu Elektrochemotherapie und IR-ECT.
Understanding the Tumor Microenvironment
Cancer cells do not exist in isolation. They are embedded within a tumor microenvironment consisting of immune cells, blood vessels, connective tissue, inflammatory signals, and biological mechanisms that may suppress immune activity.
Gerade Prostatakrebs gilt häufig als immunologisch schwer zugänglich. Das Immunsystem erkennt den Tumor oft nicht ausreichend oder wird im Tumormilieu gehemmt. Deshalb betrachten wir lokale Therapie, Immuntherapie und Priming nicht getrennt voneinander, sondern als Bausteine eines gemeinsamen Behandlungskonzepts.
Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Immune Response
A central aspect of our current treatment philosophy is exploring how the immune system can play a greater role in the management of prostate cancer. Immunotherapies do not primarily aim to destroy cancer cells directly. Instead, they seek to activate or strengthen the body’s own immune response against the tumor.
Depending on the individual situation, immunotherapeutic approaches such as checkpoint inhibitors may play a role. These treatments are designed to remove inhibitory signals that allow tumors to evade immune surveillance. However,
For this reason, we combine immunotherapeutic approaches with focal and electroporation-based treatments. Local treatment is intended not only to control tumor tissue but also to release tumor antigens that may help initiate a stronger immune response.
Priming: Preparing the Tumor for Immunotherapy
Priming refers to the deliberate preparation of both the tumor environment and the immune system for subsequent treatment. The goal is to improve the visibility of tumor antigens, activate immune cells, and create conditions in which focal therapy and immunotherapy can work together more effectively.
The visible tumor is not viewed in isolation but rather as part of a complex biological system. This approach reflects what VITUS believes modern cancer treatment should be: individualized, biologically informed, immunologically driven, and not merely protocol-based.
From Local Tumor Control to Systemic Thinking
Many conventional therapies pursue a primarily local objective: the tumor is removed, irradiated, or destroyed. In certain situations, this can be entirely appropriate. However, with prostate cancer, the most important questions are often broader.
How aggressive is the tumor?
Are there signs of systemic disease activity?
How is the immune system responding?
Which treatment can achieve local tumor control while also positively influencing biological processes?
At VITUS, we seek to answer these questions together with each patient. That is why we combine advanced diagnostics, focal therapy, electroporation, immunological concepts, and clinical experience into an individualized treatment strategy.
Innovation with Responsibility
Medical innovation has shaped VITUS from the very beginning. The clinic was among the early centers to apply IRE in prostate cancer treatment and has continued to develop electroporation-based therapies over many years.
For us, innovation does not mean adopting every new technology uncritically. The key question is whether a treatment is medically meaningful, whether it aligns with our experience, and whether it offers patients a realistic additional benefit.
For this reason, we continue to expand our treatment portfolio thoughtfully—from NanoKnife®, IR-ECT, and Electrochemotherapy to immunotherapy combinations, Photodynamic Therapy, and Priming concepts.
Learn more about the clinic’s development on our History page.
Beyond Prostate Cancer
Although VITUS has traditionally specialized in prostate cancer, our medical philosophy follows a broader principle: we integrate specialized and innovative treatments wherever they are medically appropriate and fit within the clinical environment of our private hospital.
This includes close collaboration with highly specialized physicians in areas such as complex ophthalmic and facial procedures, selected interventional oncology treatments, and other specialized therapies such as BVNA.
Our connection with ANOVA, our in-house center for regenerative medicine and stem cell-based therapeutic concepts, follows the same philosophy. Modern medicine advances when different medical disciplines collaborate and when innovative treatments are introduced into clinical practice responsibly.
VITUS therefore stands not only for a specific treatment method, but for a broader philosophy: medicine should become more precise, more individualized, and less invasive—without ever losing sight of the whole person.
Speak With Us
If you would like to know whether treatment at VITUS may be suitable for your situation, you are welcome to send us your medical records for an initial assessment.
Our team will review your findings and discuss which diagnostic and therapeutic options may be appropriate for your individual case.