Ablatherm(R) HIFU is a highly precise procedure using high intensity, focused ultrasound to eliminate prostate cancer. Ninety per cent of patients can be treated by a single procedure usually lasting 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Patients are generally discharged a few hours after the procedure. There are fewer side effects with the Ablatherm(R) HIFU treatment than conventional treatments such as: radical prostatectomy, radiation, and cryotherapy.
During the procedure an Ablatherm(R) HIFU probe is placed into the rectum after administration of spinal anesthesia. A high intensity and focused beam of ultrasound is directed into the prostate, which rapidly raises the temperature of the prostate to 85 degrees Celsius and destroys the prostate tissue. By computer imaging, the prostate beam is focused to incorporate the entire prostate gland. The Ablatherm(R) HIFU procedure is completed without blood loss or exposure to radiation.
Ablatherm(R) HIFU can be effectively used on patients with localized prostate cancer (clinical stage T-1 or T-2) who would otherwise be considered curable by radiation or radical surgery. This treatment can also be considered in patients who have received external beam radiation for localized prostate cancer but who have developed a recurrence without evidence of disease outside of the prostate.
Until recently definitive treatment options for localized prostate cancer included either radical surgery or radiation. Unfortunately both treatments were associated with significant side effects including impotence (loss of erections), and incontinence of urine.
The surgical approach, known as a radical prostatectomy, requires the complete removal of the prostate including the seminal vesicles, deferent canals, and part of the bladder neck. This major surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia requires hospitalization for a number of days.
External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) treatment is a non-invasive technique requiring high levels of radiation to be directed through the pelvis into the prostate. The daily treatments are completed in a cancer center over a 7-week period (35 treatments in total). Immediate complications include fatigue and malaise while long-term problems include erectile dysfunction and incontinence. Recent information suggests that external beam radiation for prostate cancer is associated with a 70% increase risk of rectal cancer.
Additional treatment options for localized prostate cancer includes brachytherapy, a surgical procedure during which radioactive pellets are inserted into the diseased prostate gland, and cryotherapy, during which probes are surgically placed into the prostate and areas are frozen thus destroying portions of prostate tissue. Each of these procedures carries its own significant side effects including incontinence, impotence and severe pelvic pain and rectal injury in the case of cryotherapy. Five year cure rates of prostate cancer are considerably lower than with the use of Ablatherm(R) HIFU.
About Prostate Cancer
The prostate gland is a chestnut shaped organ surrounding the urethra at the base of the bladder. Its primary function is to produce seminal liquid, which is used as a means of transportation for the sperm. Prostate cancer, the leading cancer in North American males, occurs when a cluster of cells within the prostate grows uncontrollably. When detected early these tumors are confined to the prostate allowing for a cure rate of 90% and above
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in North America and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths in North American males. It is estimated that 39 million men in North America, Europe and Japan have prostate cancer. Each year over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are detected in the United States representing one new case of prostate cancer every 2 minutes. Over 40,000 men will die of this disease each year.
