By George Kyriakou, MD, PhD, FEBU, Urologist, Faculty Member and Trainer in IRCAD / EITS Strasbourg Medical School, Director of Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery Center, Athens Medical Centre
True to its commitment to being at the forefront of developments by constantly investing in new cutting-edge technologies, Athens Medical Group proceeded to the supply of the Focal One® HIFU (HIGH-Focused Ultrasound) and is now the only center in Southeastern Europe, with this technology for the treatment of prostate cancer.
The Focal One® HIFU (High Frequency Ultrasound) is the first medical ROBOTIC device specially designed for focal treatment of prostate cancer. Combining all the latest imaging and treatment technologies, Focal One provides the answer to all the requirements for ideal focal treatment:
- Precision and imaging of the lesion with MRI and ultrasound
- Non-invasive surgical approach
- Precise and effective treatment action and imaging ratification
Focal One treats prostate cancer by creating a precise and irreversible coagulation necrosis of the targeted tissue, while preserving the surrounding tissue. That is, through the rectum, high-frequency ultrasounds are emitted in the cancer spot, raising the temperature to 85 Celsius degrees thus causing the necrosis.
It is an optimal combination of technology for ideal focal efficiency with precise robotic movements.
The benefits of focal treatment
- Precise treatment of the diagnosed tumor
- Maintaining the quality of life of the patient (unaffected urine continence and erection)
- Ability to perform any other treatment, if necessary, in the future
- It requires one session and the patient leaves the hospital the next day
- It can be repeated on the same patient in case of recurrence in the future (surgery and radiotherapy are only performed once).
Focal One is not a substitute for robotic surgery, but it is an ideal rescue treatment for non-invasive prostate cancer.
For which patients it is appropriate
- Patients of a more advanced age (over 70 years). As shown by studies, Focal One's efficacy is such that these patients are not threatened by prostate cancer for the rest of their lives.
- Patients who cannot be subjected to the long-term and demanding process of anesthesia for robotic surgery. Focal One requires anesthesia for shorter time in an easier position but can also be performed with epidural or dorsal anesthesia.
- Patients who have preferred radiation rather than radical prostatectomy in the past and now have recurrence of cancer. This category of patients is ideal for Focal One, because surgery of radical prostatectomy in irradiated prostate involves the highest risk of complications.
Under no circumstances can robotic radical prostatectomy be substituted by any other treatment. However, for the above categories of patients (older age patients, difficulty in anesthesia, prior radiotherapy), Focal One is the ideal solution without morbidity and complications.
Patients who have been subjected to this surgery since December 2018 have had absolute success and development.
This was either for patients with prostate cancer recurrence after radiation or for others with coexisting heart health problems, while the rest simply had limited disease and an age of over 70 years. All patients received dorsal anesthesia, the session lasted about one and a half hours and left the hospital the next day.
Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate showed immediate elimination of cancer and a zeroing of the PSA (<0.02) two months after the session.
According to studies, focal treatment of prostate cancer may in the future become the primary and ideal treatment of choice.
