![]() The second advance was new imaging technology that enabled MRIs to be incorporated into ultrasound treatment. First, there was an acceptance by experts of using active surveillance for low-grade tumors. Ehdaie says that using MRgFUS for intermediate-risk cancers became possible due to two important developments over the past 15 years. The ultrasound waves come from different directions, intersecting to attack and kill the cancer by heating the cells to more than 158 ☏ (70 ☌).īack to top Making HIFU Available for More Patientsĭr. After the machine takes an image of the prostate, the doctors outline the treatment area and deliver the focused ultrasound waves, guided by the MRI. Patients under anesthesia are placed in an MRI machine that covers the lower half of the body. The MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is an outpatient treatment that takes about two hours. “Advancements in prostate cancer over the past two decades have been headlined by successes that have benefited all patients, and now focal therapy provides another exciting area that can move the needle in prostate cancer management,” Dr. But men who needed surgery or radiation often had persistent side effects, such as urinary and sexual problems, that could reduce quality of life. When the cancer is confined to the prostate gland, the main treatment options have traditionally included active surveillance (close monitoring), surgery, and radiation. Results from the clinical trial, published June 14, 2022, in Lancet Oncology, represent a major step toward having the new HIFU approach become part of widespread prostate cancer treatment. “Instead of removing all the tissue in the prostate, we have learned that it is safe and effective to treat specific areas and greatly reduce the burden on patients.” “We believe this novel treatment strategy will improve the lives of many prostate cancer patients,” Dr. ![]() This suggests many men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer can avoid surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The novel approach effectively controlled the disease in patients and greatly reduced adverse side effects of treatment. The phase 2 trial, led by MSK urologic cancer surgeon Behfar Ehdaie, looked at a particular type of HIFU treatment, also called MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), in men with intermediate-risk cancer. Now a landmark clinical trial has demonstrated this less-invasive method works well for many patients. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), researchers have been working closely with an advanced focal therapy approach known as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ![]() In recent years, a new treatment strategy known as focal therapy (partial gland ablation) has emerged for prostate cancer considered to be “intermediate risk” - mostly, small tumors confined to one area of the prostate.
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