When To Consider HIFU Therapy For The Treatment Of Prostate Cancer

Posted on: 11 July 2015

If you are a man that's recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, exploring all treatment options available can help you determine what's best for you. Though chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical options are common methods of dealing with prostate cancer, you may not have heard of HIFU therapy and how it can help. HIFU treatment is a great alternative to commonly used methods, so you should know when to consider it in dealing with your cancer diagnosis.

What Is HIFU?

HIFU or High Intensity Focused Ultrasound is a viable cancer treatment option that targets a specific point in the body with a focused beam of sonic energy. The sound, or ultrasound, is able to raise the temperature of a specific point where cancer cells accumulate without causing damage to surrounding tissue and organs. This method in cancer treatment minimizes damage to healthy cells, and it allows for the treatment of cancer without the invasion of surgery or toxicity of radiation.

HIFU treatment using ultrasound allows a physician to treat prostate cancer in a customized approach, using your anatomical considerations, feedback from imaging, as well as any additional considerations or treatment options you already have. Because ultrasonic treatment is extremely focused, cancer treatment and ablation can be confined to damaged tissue, without the traditional needs to remove the entire prostate or surrounding tissue.

When You May Want To Consider HIFU

Though HIFU is still considered experimental or investigative in the US, prostate cancer that's confined and has a low risk of spreading is a good target for HIFU. A cancer patient that has already underwent radiological treatment in the prostate may also be a good candidate for HIFU therapy, because the procedure is less invasive and involves fewer side effects than chemotherapy or surgical options. HIFU therapy also allows you to endure less time in the hospital than with traditional treatments, like radiological, surgical, or chemotherapeutic. Insurance and Medicare do not cover HIFU treatments and it's only offered outside of the US, but as a treatment for patients that want a less invasive form of cancer therapy, HIFU offers the most advantages.

Where To Go

Physicians that specialize in HIFU treatment must practice this therapy outside of the US, because the FDA has not approved the treatment yet for prostate cancer. However, the use of ultrasound in soft tissue therapy and its recognition as a reliable option in treating various diseases is embraced throughout the world. Currently efficacy standards and ongoing clinical trials are what stand between sanctioning ultrasound therapy as a cancer treatment option in the US. So if you decide that ultrasound is an option that you want to include in your therapy initiative, there are practices in Mexico, the Bahamas, and Canada that can help you get started with either single or recurring treatments catered to you. Visit a site like www.internationalhifu.com for more information.

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