Embolization of prostatic arteries to stop bleeding in prostate cancer

Prostatic bleeding is life-threatening, and its most common cause is locally advanced prostate cancer. In several patients, hemostatic therapy is ineffective. Surgery is not feasible in most patients owing to the high surgical risk. In such cases, prostatic artery embolization may be the method of choice to stop the bleeding. This procedure is minimally invasive; thus, it can be performed in patients with contraindications to more extensive operations. Despite limited experience with embolization of prostatic arteries, according to the literature, it is effective in 90% of treated patients. This article provides a review of the literature and clinical observations of the successful use of prostatic artery embolization to stop bleeding in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.