Can sound waves destroy prostate cancer?

After a positive diagnosis of prostate cancer, some men may worry about treatment options and related side effects that could lead to sexual dysfunction, urinary problems and mobility issues.

However, a novel procedure – High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, or HIFU– effectively treats prostate cancer with the use of high frequency sound waves, and offers fewer side effects, faster recovery and hopefully, more peace of mind.
HIFU Ablation is minimally invasive. This procedure targets the area of the prostate that has cancer and destroys the cancer with an ultrasound while the patient is under anesthesia. The main goal of this therapy is to preserve the healthy tissue surrounding the cancer and minimize the side effects that often come with other treatment options.
“This procedure is an outpatient therapy, which takes about an hour. No incisions are made…the patient usually goes home the same day, and most patients can return to their normal activity level in a week, if not sooner,” says Dr. Arpeet Shah, a urologist at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, in Hazel Crest, Ill.

Appropriate candidates for HIFU are patients who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in a particular area of the prostate and have no signs of any significant cancer anywhere else in the body.
“When used on appropriately selected patients, focal HIFU therapy compared to whole gland therapy can lead to equivalent cancer outcomes, when you compare HIFU therapy to whole gland therapy, are pretty equivalent,” says Dr. Shah. “With HIFU, we’re looking at a 10-fold decrease in the rate of side effects, compared to whole gland surgical procedures.”
Conventional, whole gland surgery for prostate cancer removes the entire prostate gland. Additional therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy may needed for treatment of aggressive or metastatic prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men. Each man's risk of prostate cancer can vary, based on his age, race/ethnicity, family history, and other lifestyle factors. Most patients diagnosed with prostate cancer exhibit no symptoms.

The most important element for effective treatment is early detection and understanding risk factors. Dr. Shah recommends men over age 50 to have annual prostate exams as prostate cancer is usually diagnosed by a primary care physician after standard laboratory testing.