At Liv Hospital Urology Clinic, HIFU is applied as a primary treatment approach for localized prostate cancer, that is, in the stage where the cancer is still entirely within the prostate tissue and the surrounding tissues are safe.
With Focal HIFU, Patients are Provided with a Complication-Free Process
Prostate cancer can be seen incidentally in 12% of patients who undergo open or endoscopic surgery with the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia, that is, BPH-benign prostate hyperplasia. These patients need additional treatment for cancer, but classical treatments may cause them to experience local prostate cancer treatment with more severe complications. With tumor-focused Focal HIFU treatment in primary prostate cancer, patients can be provided with a complication-free process.
What is Focal HIFU?
HIFU is a current treatment method used as local treatment in primary prostate cancer, salvage treatment after radiotherapy and surgery failure, and supportive treatment in locally advanced prostate cancer. It is applied as “Radical HIFU when integrated with TUR, and as focal HIFU when non-invasive apart from TUR. Considering the entire treatment process of prostate cancer, which is a variable and long-term disease, HIFU is a versatile treatment technique. HIFU is not comparable to any classical treatment method, but throughout the course of the disease, its indications may overlap with all other treatments and create alternatives. In addition, since the procedure can be performed in a single session, has low side effects during and after the procedure, and is non-invasive, it can be applied to patients of all ages and health conditions.
For Which Patients Is Focal HIFU Treatment Suitable?
Overtreatment is common in prostate cancer. The need for less invasive and adequate treatments is very high. Therefore, it is preferable to apply this type of treatment strategy to patients with a single focal low-risk tumor in the prostate.
The aim is to plan a partial and tumor-limited treatment strategy without performing TUR in cases of single-focus, localized prostate cancer. This type of treatment also has the chance of total/radical transformation in case of failure or relapse. On the one hand, it is aimed to preserve sphincter function and sexual performance. On the other hand, in a wait-and-see situation, the psychological stress that the patient will experience is relieved. Against the question of “overtreatment, focal treatment of prostate cancer is a non-invasive method.
How is Focal HIFU Treatment Applied?
HIFU procedure is a non-invasive treatment performed under general anesthesia and completed in a single session. In the procedure, an ultrasonic scanner is used, which is placed in the rectum and focuses the ultrasonographic waves emitted by a spoon-shaped applicator containing an angled piezoelectric crystal to a point. The HIFU firing sequence, intensity and duration of the applicators are specific to each case. The intrarectal position of the applicators during the procedure is determined by a 3D computerized algorithm, the measurements are checked and corrected with the 3D image, and automatic and instantaneous real-time ultrasonic imaging is performed for each lesion according to the treatment plan. Thus, HIFU application achieves high precision during the procedure. This precision is what distinguishes technologies performing HIFU procedures as ‘smart surgical robots’
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