Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Advertisement

ABC News NIGHTLINE Features HIFU with Sonablate(R) 500 as Non Invasive Treatment Option for Prostate Cancer

Saturday, June 28, 2008 General News
Advertisement
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 27 USHIFU, LLC, the exclusivedistributor of the minimally invasive Sonablate(R) 500 for prostate cancertreatment in North and South America, announced that the June 16, 2008 editionof ABC News NIGHTLINE featured a segment on high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) for treating prostate cancer outside of the United States using theSonablate(R) 500.
Advertisement

According to the segment, men diagnosed with prostate cancer have theability to travel outside of the United States to receive HIFU, anon invasive, outpatient procedure for prostate cancer.
Advertisement

The segment failed to mention that the Sonablate(R) 500 HIFU treatment iscurrently involved in two different FDA-approved clinical trials in the UnitedStates to gather data important for analysis of the technology by the FDA.The first is a pivotal trial for the treatment of primary organ confinedprostate cancer that will enroll 466 participants at 24 different centers. Asecond pivotal trial will begin for the treatment of recurrent prostate cancerin men who have failed external beam radiation therapy.

Dr. Herbert Lepor, Chairman of Urology at NYU School of Medicine andmedical monitor for the trials said, "I have personally reviewed thepreliminary data and observed the Sonablate(R) 500 in action and I amimpressed with this advanced technology for ablating the prostate. Theserigorous clinical trials will add to the international data already availableand will further help define the appropriate role of the Sonablate(R) 500device in the treatment of prostate cancer," Lepor added.

If patients meet the enrollment criteria they may qualify to enroll in theU.S. HIFU clinical trials. For more information about the clinical trialseligibility criteria call USHIFU at 1-877-874-4389.

"HIFU offers non invasive treatment option for men who are looking for atherapy that will not completely disrupt their lives. A story on a prominentnews program, such as ABC, NIGHTLINE increases awareness of the procedure andencourages people to conduct personal research to see if HIFU is a treatmentoption they should consider," said Steve Puckett, Jr., USHIFU Chief ExecutiveOfficer.

In the program, NIGHTLINE followed HIFU patient Richard Brightmire, as hetraveled to Cancun, Mexico to have HIFU in February. According to the story,Brightmire chose HIFU because he wanted to preserve his quality of life and hewas not satisfied with the other treatment options that were presented to him.

Four months after his procedure, Brightmire's PSA is zero and he hasmaintained his quality of life. "I'm doing fine since the HIFU procedure.Everything is back to normal," Brightmire said.

"I think that NIGHTLINE stressed sexual preservation as the main reasonfor going with HIFU. It's my belief that sexual preservation is only one ofseveral important aspects," Brightmire continued. "For me, I went with theprocedure because of the results outside the U.S. that show it to benon-invasive and show a lower risk of long-term hospitalization, and a lowerrisk of incontinence as well as impotence especially compared to surgery andother treatments available today."

USHIFU recognizes that, as the segment mentions, not all physicians areadvocates of new prostate cancer therapies, "We understand that there is avery high bar of scrutiny for new prostate cancer treatment modalities, asthere should be," Puckett said. "We highly encourage physicians to evaluatethe technology for themselves and explore the international clinical outcomesthat exist."

"In the program I found it particularly interesting that Dr. PatrickWalsh, of John Hopkins University was referenced as an expert with regards toHIFU. To my knowledge he has never seen or used our technology. We extend aninvitation for him, as well as any other physician, to come see HIFU firsthandand learn," Puckett added.

The Sonablate(R)
Sponsored Post and Backlink Submission


Latest Press Release on General News

This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close