HIFU Therapy for Prostate Cancer

HIFU Focal One

Focal treatment of prostate cancer without surgery, preserving the surrounding healthy tissue and minimizing the side effects associated with radical therapies.

HIFU Focal One (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) is a revolutionary technology for treating prostate cancer. It is a robotic system that destroys only the areas affected by the cancer inside the prostate without touching healthy prostate tissue. In this way, we obtain the same oncological results as radical therapies but minimizing the side effects associated with them such as urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

ROC Clinic is the only center in Spain that owns the HIFU Focal One technology and the only center in the country capable of offering a complete robotic program for the treatment of prostate cancer, at the level of the best hospitals in the world.

What is the HIFU technique for the treatment of prostate cancer?

HIFU is a type of treatment that is focal therapy which focuses exclusively on destroy the areas affected by cancer within the prostate gland. This system uses high intensity ultrasound waves (HIFU) to generate heat and exclusively destroy the cancerous cells within the prostate without the need for surgery, incisions or radiation. This technology allows a targeted treatment, that is, it only affects the areas affected by the cancer, preserving the surrounding healthy tissue.

It is an innovative option for men with intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer who seek to avoid the significant side effects associated with more invasive treatments (radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy) such as urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

Focal One HIFU seeks to treat prostate cancer precisely, preserving as much healthy tissue as possible and having as little impact as possible on the patient's quality of life. This means that many of the complications that can arise with more invasive treatments, such as urinary incontinence or erection problems, are much less.

HIFU Focal One allows physicians to clearly see the affected areas within the prostate thanks to real-time MRI and ultrasound imaging. This helps them to target treatment only to the areas that need it, without damaging the rest of the prostate.

This procedure is performed under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis, i.e., the patient can enter and leave the hospital on the same day of the intervention.

What is the Focal One HIFU procedure like?

Patient preparation:

Prior to the procedure, the patient undergoes tests such as an MRI and biopsy to identify the areas affected by the cancer. This allows the physician to accurately plan the treatment. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, so the patient will be asleep during the entire process.

Patient positioning:

Once anesthetized, the patient is positioned lying laterally so that the physician can access the prostate through the rectum.

Intervention:

The physician inserts a transducer (a small, cylindrical device) into the patient's rectum, through which high intensity ultrasound (HIFU) waves are emitted, focused only on the previously identified cancerous areas.
Image guidance: Focal One HIFU combines real-time MRI and ultrasound imaging so that the physician can clearly visualize the affected areas and precisely target treatment only to cancer cells, avoiding damage to healthy tissue.
Cancer Ablation: Ultrasound waves generate heat at specific points where cancer cells are located to destroy them without the need for cutting or radiation. The physician controls the entire process through a robotic system, ensuring that the treatment is as precise and effective as possible. Once completed, the transducer is removed and the patient is transferred to a recovery room.
Duration of Procedure: The treatment lasts between 1 and 3 hours depending on the size and location of the affected area.

Recovery:

Focal One HIFU, being an outpatient procedure, allows the patient to return home the same day. Recovery is rapid and most people resume normal activities within a few days.