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Prostate Cancer Treatment Options:
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
Ultrasound is very versatile. At low energy it can be completely harmless when used to image an unborn baby. However, under specific circumstances, it can be used to destroy tissue. By focusing the ultrasound source, (similar to how a magnifying glass can focus a beam of light) and vastly increasing its intensity, a large amount of energy can be accurately targeted at a single point. This results in a rapid temperature increase of that point. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a clinical application in which focused ultrasound beams are used to raise the temperature of tissue to a level that causes irreversible damage (“ablation”). By using technologically advanced equipment it is possible to systematically ablate the entire gland without any incision or radiation. HIFU is unique in that it is a non-invasive procedure (rather than minimally invasive) involving no radiation, or any incision. The prostate is not removed, but destroyed while still in the body. The procedure takes between 2 and 4 hours and the patient can typically return home the same day or after a night in the hospital. Return to normal daily life usually occurs within a week. Click here to read a paper explaining more about HIFU Devices that perform High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) are not approved by the FDA in the United States. It is approved for commercial use only in certain countries outside of the United States. Any discussion of treatment, clinical data interpretations or conclusions and instructions for use are specific to one or more foreign countries where devices are approved for use in the treatment of prostate cancer and other indications.
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