HIFU in India : HIFU Ultrasound Hope for Prostate Cancer Patients

HIFU Ultrasound Hope for Prostate Cancer Patients 

Soundwaves could help 95% of prostate cancer patients … without affecting sex life,”  Its story comes from a small study that looked at an experimental treatment using high-intensity focusedultrasound (HIFU) to target areas of prostate cancer in men where the disease had not spread.

Standard treatments for prostate cancer often lead to undesirable side effects, in particular erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Researchers found that a year after this experimental treatment, 89% of men still had erectile function and all were still continent. Ninety-five per cent of the men showed no evidence of disease on an MRI scan.

The results of this small study look promising. Men with early (localised) prostate cancer that has not spread can often live for years without developing life-threatening symptoms, and are often faced with a difficult decision about whether or not to have conventional treatment, which can have side effects. A treatment that can target areas of cancer without damaging healthy tissue might enable more men to have treatment for prostate cancer at an early stage.

However, it’s important to point out that this is an early “proof of concept” study and that a far larger trial is required to assess both its effectiveness and safety.This was an early (prospective development) study looking at a new treatment for localised prostate cancer called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, yet, as the authors point out, treating localised prostate cancer is difficult since the disease often progresses slowly and may not cause any symptoms for many years. There are several standard treatments for localised prostate cancer. Some involve treating the whole prostate with radiotherapy or removing it with surgery, and these can damage surrounding healthy tissue. The more destructive treatments of the whole prostate gland lead to undesirable side effects, in particular, erection problems (affecting 30-70% of men treated) and urinary incontinence (affecting 5-20%). One alternative for men at present is to have no active treatment but to undergo regular checks. This is known as active surveillance.

The new treatment, say the authors, is less aggressive and able to target the cancer site rather than the whole organ. In this respect, it is similar to treatment for other malignancies, such as localised breast cancer (where a lumpectomy is now an alternative to mastectomy). They say that in a previous study they had used HIFU to destroy one half of the prostate where the cancer was situated. But they point out that only one in five men have disease in one half of the prostate only. Their new study looked at whether HIFU could be used for treating cancer at specific sites within the prostate.

Advantages of HIFU Treatment :-

 • No blood loss

 • Quick recovery

 • Non surgical

 • Radiation free

 • An outpatient procedure

This is most modern technique ideal for treatment of low grade prostate cancer. It involves no surgery, no radiation , good cancer control, minimal morbidity. HIFU helps to improve the quality of life after Treatment and there are some more advantages like early return of erections and good urinary control.

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