login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Ultrasound Treatment for Prostate Cancer Attracting Patients, but Experts Skeptical
January 20, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Cancer News
It is yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but people are willing to travel outside the country to undergo the operation and cough up huge money in the process.
The technique, called high-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU (pronounced HIGH-foo) attacks the cancerous tissue by heating the prostate to temperatures near boiling instead of the more traditional surgery or radiation.
Many travel across the borders to Mexico where a US-based firm is offering the treatment, which is incidentally approved in the European Union and Canada too.
But many cancer experts are skeptical. They argue that there is not yet enough evidence that the treatment stops cancer over the long run and they say the side effects are not as minimal as claimed.
The American Urological Association too says there is too little long-term data to evaluate HIFU.
The head of the prostate cancer program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Peter T. Scardino, said the procedure might prove useful for some special cases, but “for the treatment of the average ordinary prostate cancer, I think it’s a second-class form of therapy.”
Dr. Scardino is among prostate cancer experts concerned that when HIFU treatment preserves sexual potency, it is not eradicating the cancer.
The primary treatments for prostate cancer have an impotence rate approaching 50 percent, as well as a lesser risk of urinary incontinence.
|
|
|
More News on: Radioisotope Scan , Prostate Cancer, Cancer and Homeopathy, Egg Donation, Ultrasound, Check your prostate gland, Prostatitis Symptom Score Calculator, Trans-Urethral Resection of the Prostate, Prostate Cancer Facts, Cancer Facts
 Comment & Contribute
|
|
guest
01/21/2008
HIFU only costs $US3500 in Belgium and Holland with tens of thousands of successful procedures. It is the main procedure in Europe, is approved in 20 countries a near approval in US. It has vastly reduced side effects compared with traditional procedures. US doctors oppose it because of vested interests. The Mexican clinics are unnecessarily expensive - men could have a holiday and procedure in Canada, Europe, UK, Japan or Australia for the same money.-Ross
Reply |
Forward
guest
01/20/2008
I underwent HIFU in June 2006 and thus far the treatment has lived up to its reports. Low psa, good sexual function and no incontence. My local urologist who does not do HIFU examined me last month and said there is no evidence of the prostate gland or cancer.If you can afford it I recommend it |
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
|
|
 | Quiz on Cancer Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz. 
|
- News Quick Links
 |
Ultrasound
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Research: Bright Colored Chips can Cut Consumption by Half |
| » | Olympic Athlete's Body Via the 80-10-10 Raw Vegan Diet |
| » | Importance of Canned Foods To Help Tackle IOM Weight Of The Nation Recommendations, Highlights Study |
| » | US Rules Pomegranate Juice Claims Deceptive |
| » | Reducing Entrée Size Could Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Children |
| More Diet News | |
|
