Good Samaritan Medical Center reports it is the first hospital in Palm Beach County now performing the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound procedure for prostate cancer patients. HIFU directs high-frequency sound waves that heat up and burn off cancerous tissue, with a low risk of triggering the common side effects of impotence or incontinence.
"This procedure is designed to bring a safe and effective minimally invasive option to patients, who in the past, had to deal with the side effects of impotence or incontinence," said Tara McCoy, chief executive officer at Good Samaritan Medical Center. "The oncology program at Good Sam is a signature service of our hospital that continues to implement cutting edge technology to enhance the lives of our patients.”
In 2015, the FDA cleared HIFU for prostate tissue ablation. Urologists are now using it to ablate parts of the prostate on patients with localized prostate cancer, that is, cancer that has spread in but not beyond the capsule of the prostate gland, and has not reached other parts of the body. According to the Urology Care Foundations, more than 90% of men who are told they have prostate cancer have localized disease, meaning a majority of these patients could benefit from a minimally invasive procedure like HIFU.
