Concord Hospital health system is the first medical institution in New Hampshire to offer a new, FDA-approved, minimally invasive treatment option for men diagnosed with intermediate-risk prostate cancer. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU, is an incision-free procedure that destroys prostate cancer tissue using high frequency sound waves. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in the United States.
Traditional treatments for prostate cancer include surgical removal of the prostate gland and radiation therapy. Although effective, these therapies are known to cause side effects in many men, including erectile dysfunction and urinary leakage. As such, new treatment options that limit potentially lifelong side effects are needed.
HIFU is a “targeted” or “focal” therapy that precisely treats only the area of the prostate gland that contains cancer cells, while leaving the rest of the prostate and surrounding structures unharmed. As a result, the risk of life-limiting side effects is significantly reduced when compared to traditional treatments. HIFU is an outpatient or “day” procedure with a short recovery time, which can be advantageous for many patients and families.
There are also no incision or stiches to care for. In fact, most men can return to general activity one to two days after treatment. Although relatively new in prostate cancer, the concept of focal therapy for other types of cancer is not.
For example, focal therapy (i.e. cryotherapy or thermal ablation) is a routinely accepted management strategy in kidney cancer, where only the cancerous tissue is treated, leaving the surrounding healthy kidney tissue intact.
So, what has changed to make focal therapy an option for prostate cancer now? Three things: • Improvements in prostate gland imaging with MRI, which allows physicians to locate tumors and understand their boundaries. • A better understanding of tumor biology and how aggressive a patient’s prostate cancer is. • A growing appreciation that health care providers need to continue to work to reduce patient side effects and improve cancer patient quality of life, while still achieving excellent cancer control.
“It is important to note that not all men are candidates for HIFU,” said Dr. Michael E. Rezaee, MPH, of the Urologic Institute at Concord Hospital.
“A highly aggressive tumor, tumor location, history of inflammatory bowel disease, presence of a urethral stricture, and prior rectal surgery are some of the reasons why HIFU may not be the right treatment option for some.” HIFU patients will also need to be monitored closely after surgery with repeat imaging and prostate biopsy. Overall, surgical removal of the prostate gland and radiation therapy will remain the standard of care for most men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
However, HIFU presents an exciting, minimally invasive treatment option with minimal side effects for the properly selected patient. A comprehensive team of urologists with expertise in urological oncology, prostate cancer, and focal therapy are available at Concord Hospital health system. For more information, call 603-225-2711 or visit concordhospital.
org ..
