Prostate cancer, i.e. prostate cancer, is one of the most common types of cancer in men. It ranks third among the mortality rates (after lung cancer and gastric cancer), and the fourth among male cancer incidence. Annually, it is about 7000 cases in Poland. Prostate cancer kills ten men in our country every day!
There are many treatments available for prostate cancer. Basically, however, we distinguish surgical treatment (e.g. prostatectomy, i.e. surgical removal of the prostate), radiotherapy, hormone therapy and – in some situations – chemotherapy. Unfortunately, these methods are associated with a high risk of complications. They are also highly invasive methods, and if they fail, none of them can be repeated.
About HIFU treatment
The Ablatherm® HIFU method involves the use of ultrasound (the same as in ultrasound ultrasound machines) to destroy cancerous tissues in the prostate gland. It uses the principle of focusing ultrasound beams to achieve high energy and temperature in a specific place, which leads to the destruction of the tumor.
The HIFU procedure lasts from 90 minutes to two hours. It is performed as part of a short stay in hospital. It is a non-invasive treatment and does not require surgery or the use of radiation.
The HIFU method is successfully used in the treatment of prostate cancer in over 300 centers around the world. This method, once considered experimental, has now won the recognition of Urological Societies. In total, over 30.000 treatments using the HIFU method have been performed, which confirms the effectiveness of the method. Long-term results, 5 and 7 years old, show a high cure rate of 83-87%, a low level of complications and the maintenance of the current quality of life. The great advantage of HIFU technology is low patient exposure to side effects, as well as the possibility of repeating the procedure in the event of recurrence of the disease.
The advantages of the HIFU method over traditional methods are:
- definitely fewer post-treatment complications,
- low patient exposure to side effects,
- HIFU is not radiation therapy – it lacks all the inconveniences of radiation,
- the HIFU method may extend the patient’s resistance to cancer,
- the possibility of repeating the procedure in patients with recurrent cancer,
- complementarity of the treatment (possible to perform radiotherapy, brachytherapy or prostatectomy after prior treatment),
- in the West, HIFU is routinely performed after failure of radiotherapy,
- a chance to maintain sexual function after therapy,
- HIFU does not require a long stay in the hospital.
About the clinic
HIFU Clinic is the first and only center in Poland that offers prostate cancer treatment using the HIFU method. The highest quality Ablatherm® equipment is used for treatment. Located in Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, HIFU Clinic was created by a group of specialists involved in the development and application of new methods of treatment.
The HIFU Clinic medical team consists of doctors with clinical experience in many areas, including urology, sexology, cardiology, neurology and interventional radiology.
Our consultant is Dr. Stefan Thüroff from the Urology Clinic of the Hospital in Munich – urology specialist and expert in the field of minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer. He is one of the first doctors to perform treatments using HIFU, an outstanding expert in this method and its promoter on a global scale.