High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU, is a therapy that destroys tissue with rapid heat elevation, which essentially "cooks" the tissue. Ultrasound energy, or sound waves, is focused at a specific location and at that "focal point," the temperature raises to almost 90 degrees Celsius in a matter of seconds. Any tissue at the "focal point" is destroyed; however, any tissue outside of the focal point remains unharmed.
HIFU has produced oncological results that are broadly comparable to standard therapies. HIFU is the only non invasive prostate cancer therapy that does not use ionizing radiation11, which can be potentially harmful.
Unlike radiation, HIFU is non-ionizing so it can be repeated if necessary, without damaging healthy tissue. It also can be used as a salvage therapy if other types of therapy have failed.
Advantages of HIFU include:
- Takes only one to four hours, depending on prostate size
- Performed as an outpatient procedure under a spinal (epidural) anesthesia
- Recovery time is minimal
- Patients are usually up and walking around within hours after the procedure and may return to a normal lifestyle within a couple of days
- A catheter is inserted during the procedure and usually worn for one to four weeks
HIFU is considered most effective for men who have early-stage localized prostate cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body.
HIFU is available outside the U.S. in Central America, South America, Canada, India and the Caribbean. This therapy is slowly becoming more available in the U.S.
Two clinical trials, coordinated by US HIFU LLC based in Charlotte, N.C., are underway in the U.S. for a non-invasive medical device called the Sonablate® 500. One trial is for patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and the other is for men who have recurrent prostate cancer.
The Sonablate obtains real-time ultrasound images of the prostate and surrounding areas. From these images, the doctor plans where the ultrasound energy will be delivered. The Sonablate software allows the surgeon to visually detect the treatment and precisely define the treatment zones in order to destroy the entire gland or selected portions (focal therapy).
