High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) - An Alternative Choice in Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate cancer is considered one of the most discussed topics in male health with an important social impact on the quality of life. In Europe, it is the most common solid neoplasm with an incidence rate of 214 cases per 100,000 men1. The increasing life expectancy and the more and more widespread use of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) are probably the two most important reasons why more patients are diagnosed with prostate cancer. In Europe, 2,6 million new cases of prostate cancer are yearly observed (11% of male cancer diagnosis), responsible for 9% of deaths for male cancer cases. Radical surgery represents the treatment of choice in clinically localized prostate cancer and in > 10 year life expectancy prostate cancer. Nevertheless, radical surgery itself may be considered a high morbility treatment2. Mini-invasive procedure development, such as three-dimensional external radiotherapy, brachytherapy or cryotherapy, especially in elderly or anaesthetically high risk patients, represents a useful treatment in prostate cancer. HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) is a new and alternative choice in localized and low or intermediate-risk prostate cancer treatment3-5. For a variety of reasons, transrectal HIFU appears highly attractive as a minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer. It is a method of delivering ultrasonic energy with resultant heat and tissue destruction to a discrete point without damaging intervening tissue or cells. HIFU has been used for the management of patients diagnosed with various types of cancer, including prostate, breast, liver, pancreas, kidney, bone, and soft tissue.