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Focal therapy treats the cancerous prostate tissue in a way that won’t affect the healthy tissues in the surrounding area. Focal therapies use guided imaging techniques to target and treat prostate cancers that are confined to a small area of the prostate.
Focal therapy treatments are ideal for patients who are in the early stages of prostate cancer. This is because if the cancer has spread away from the prostate, it would be much more difficult to focally target the cancer.
These treatments range from minimally invasive to noninvasive, and there are multiple options physicians consider for their patients, including cryoablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound and irreversible electroporation.
Dayton Physicians Network is the first in the Dayton area to offer 3 different focal therapies in order to provide the best personalized, high- quality care for each patient.
A high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive treatment meant for patients with low to medium aggressive prostate cancer and is efficient in multiple ways such as low risk for side effects.
HIFU destroys prostate cancer through the delivery of precise and focused sound waves to a targeted spot of diseased prostate tissue. This technology uses ultrasound energy, not radiation, to destroy the targeted tissue. The Ultrasound energy, or sound waves, is transmitted through the rectal wall and focused at desired locations within the prostate identified by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and confirmed by ultrasound. This targeted and minimally invasive approach to treating prostate cancer leaves the healthy tissue untouched and unharmed and minimizes the chance of side effects.
Focal cryotherapy involves a small, needle-sized probe that delivers a solution to the prostate. This solution freezes a portion of the prostate in order to kill the cancer cells.
During cryotherapy, thin metal probes are inserted through the skin and into the prostate. The probes are filled with a gas that causes the nearby prostate tissue to freeze.
Cryotherapy might be used to treat early-stage prostate cancer that's confined to one part of the prostate if other treatments aren't an option for you. Cryotherapy for prostate cancer can also be used when the cancer has returned after initial treatment.
Irreversible electroporation (IRE) technology for prostate cancer generates consecutive electrical pulses between pairs of electrodes which move through tumorous cells, irreversibly perforate their membranes and eventually lead to cell death, while avoiding tissue thermal effect. The electricity can be very finely pinpointed, making this method highly accurate.
Your treatment choices depend on the type of prostate cancer you have, test results and the stage of the cancer. The goal of treatment may be to cure you, control the cancer and help ease problems caused by cancer. Your healthcare team will talk through treatment choices, the goals of treatment, and what the risks and side effects may be.
Ask your Urologist of focal therapy is right for you. Our providers will tailor the treatment to your cancer.