High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) uses high-frequency ultrasound energy to heat and kill cancer cells in the prostate. This relatively new treatment is usually only offered to men with early stage, localized cancer that is in one area of the prostate.
It’s important to note that prostate cancer is what’s called a “multi-focal disease,” so it is rare that a patient has cancer confined just to one area of the prostate. If patients have such a diagnosis, HIFU can "reset the time clock on the cancer so they can avoid the full treatments until a later date," says Dr. Patrick Swift, a radiation oncologist and Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology at Stanford Medicine.
Read More The downside? The long-term effectiveness of the treatment is still being determined. Also, HIFU is not widely availableit’s mostly offered through clinical trialsand it can be very expensive.
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