The Oncological Outcome of HIFU for the Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer
Pages 67-72
Francesco Ziglioli and Umberto Maestroni

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-2279.2014.03.01.7

Published: 31 January 2014

Abstract: Introduction: Prostate cancer is considered one of the most important health problems. Due to the increased number of diagnosed patients and the inability to distinguish aggressive tumors, minimally-invasive procedures have become increasingly interesting. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an alternative option to radical surgery to treat prostate cancer. To date, however, no data are available on the efficacy of this technique in comparison to standard treatment.

Methods and Results: We reviewed the literature to concentrate on the oncological outcome of HIFU treatment of prostate cancer with the following key words: hifu, high intensity focused ultrasound, ultrasonic therapy, transrectal hifu, prostate ablation. MedLine and Embase via Ovid database were searched. Selection criteria were: English language, articles published between 2006 and 2013, case series including more than 150 participants and reported data on oncological outcome. Thirteen uncontrolled studies were identified. No randomized controlled trials (RCT) were found in the literature comparing HIFU to other routine approaches to prostate cancer treatment.

Conclusion: HIFU seems to be a promising minimally-invasive treatment for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer, especially for patients who are unfit for radical surgery. Prospective studies with longer follow-up periods and RCT are required to properly assess the benefits of HIFU and to compare this treatment with standard treatment.