★★★★★
HIFU, as it is called, is in clinical trials in the USA, but your urologist won't tell you about it, ours tried to discourage us, by telling us it wasn't approved by the FDA, but after much searching and studing--we knew it was the right decision! No cutting!
HIFU has been used in Europe for 16 years with a 94% cure rate. It would be 100% except if the cancer has spread outside the gland too far, then it cannot get it all, neither can surgery though, chemo is the choice then, but HIFU can be done first.
There are two HIFU machines, the Albatherm only has one size setting, so if your gland is larger than the setting it also may not get all the cancer. But the Sonablade500 can be adjusted to accomodate all sizes and if the gland moves during the procedure then so can the ultrasound beams. The Sonablade500 is made in the USA, while the Albatherm is made in Europe.
Because HIFU hasn't finished clinical trials in the USA it isn't FDA approved, so you must go outside the US to have it done. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We met Dr. S. Scionti ( www.internationalhifu.com ) and his team of nurses, anathiesologist and mechanics for the machine the night prior to the treatment at Xavier Hospital, which was spotlessly clean. The treatment took 2 hours, then we waited for husband to come out of his sleep, and we went back to the hotel, we had dinner out, and life was good! A supra-pubic catheter is installed, it is needed as the doctor uses it to clean him out prior to treatment, then there are tiny particles of prostate that must leave the body and the catheter makes this easier, or they could clog up the urethra. The catheter was a bummer, stayed in 12 days, but I understand you get the catheter with surgery too. Radiation causes other cancers, like bladder and renal.
HIFU is the answer! For complete info here is a website from the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, an independent research charity which explains it: http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/novelthr/Chinn_TransrectalHIFU.html
Dr. S. Scionti is the most experienced in HIFU outside Europe, over 400 treatments. He lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 888-874-4384
It just makes me sick that the rest of the world has this easy treatment and we've never heard of it!
The Japanese use HIFU for bone, liver, kidney, pancreatic, prostate and breast cancer.
