High‐intensity focused ultrasound therapy for prostate cancer

Abstract

Abbreviations & AcronymsAbstract: Recent advances in high-intensity focused ultrasound , which was developed in the 1940s as a viable thermal tissue ablation approach, have increased its popularity. High-intensity focused ultrasound is currently utilized the most in Europe and Japan, but has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, USA, for this indication. The purpose of the present report is to review the scientific foundation of high-intensity focused ultrasound technology and the clinical outcomes achieved with commercially available devices. Recently published articles were reviewed to evaluate the current status of high-intensity focused ultrasound as a primary or salvage treatment option for localized prostate cancer. Improvements in the clinical outcome as a result of technical, imaging and technological advancements are described herein. A wide range of treatment options for organ-confined prostate cancer is available. However, highintensity focused ultrasound is an attractive choice for men willing to choose less invasive options, although establishing the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound requires longer follow-up periods. Technological advances, together with cultural and economic factors, have caused a dramatic shift from traditional open, radical prostatectomy to minimally invasive techniques. High-intensity focused ultrasound is likely to play a significant role in the future of oncology practice.

First Clinical Experience of Intra-Operative High Intensity Focused Ultrasound in Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Phase I-IIa Study

“…Because this is achieved so quickly, there is little cooling due to perfusion of the target area or adjacent tissue [8]. HIFU has been proven effective in a wide range of clinical applications, especially prostate cancer [9,10]. …”

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) using Sonablate{trade mark, serif} devices for the treatment of localized prostate cancer: 13-year experience

“…High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is one of the newer of ablation therapy for available for men with prostate cancer. [1][2][3][4][5][6] This report describes the 13-year experience with 884 consecutive patients treated with HIFU for clinical stage T1c-3N0M0 localized prostate cancer.…”

Enhancement of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Heating by Short-Pulse Generated Cavitation

“…Ultrasound generated outside a body is focused on a target tumor and the tissue in the focal region is thermally coagulated within several to a few tens of seconds in a HIFU treatment. HIFU has been clinically applied to many kinds of target tissues, such as prostate [2][3][4][5], breast [6], liver [7,8], and pancreatic cancers [9] and bone metastasis [10]. One of the problems encountered with a HIFU treatment is a long treatment time especially for a large tissue volume to be treated.…”