Prostate Cancer Research Institute
HIFU and Prostate Cancer: What You Need to Know
PCRI’s Executive Director, Mark Scholz, MD, explains HIFU’s promise as a focal treatment for prostate cancer but also gives explains why he is reluctant to recommend the procedure in its current state to his patients
0:04 High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound is a form of therapy recently approved by the FDA that can be used to destroy the whole prostate gland or individual sections of the prostate gland (known as focal therapy) to treat prostate cancer.
0:33 HIFU is promising as a focal treatment for low-risk patients with small tumors and it is relatively safe in skilled hands. There are certainly those who will be satisfied with their treatment after receiving HIFU. However, in Dr. Scholz’s experience with prostate cancer patients, HIFU has yet to produce acceptable cure rates compared to traditional treatments because the doctors who perform the procedure are still in their learning curves in regard to finding the best margins of treatment to eradicate the cancer without causing unnecessary damage to healthy tissue.
2:09 It is possible that experts will emerge from this learning period who can get good consistent outcomes with HIFU, but Dr. Scholz is not yet aware of anyone and so he recommends treatments with established consistent outcomes for his patients.
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The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping you research your treatment options. We understand that you have many questions, and we can help you find the answers that are specific to your case. All of our resources are designed by a multidisciplinary team of advocates and expert physicians, for patients. We believe that by educating yourself about the disease, you will have more productive interactions with your medical professionals and receive better individualized care. Feel free to explore our website or call our free helpline at 1 (800) 641-7274 with any questions that you have. Our Federal Tax ID # is 95-4617875 and qualifies for maximum charitable gift deductions by individual donors.
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