Principles and results of high-intensity focused ultrasound for localized prostate cancer

Focused ultrasound holds promise in a large number of therapeutic applications. It has long been known that high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can kill tissue through coagulative necrosis. However, it is only in recent years that practical clinical applications are becoming possible, with the development of high-power ultrasound arrays and noninvasive monitoring methods. In the last decade, HIFU have been adapted and used to treat localized prostate cancer and it is now commercially available in Europe. In this article, preclinical studies and clinical development of prostate HIFU as well as early clinical results from our center and international studies are reviewed. Early results demonstrated that prostate HIFU is efficient to obtain local control for low- and intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer; however, long-term follow-up is still needed to estimate the efficacy of prostate HIFU in terms of specific cancer mortality. This makes HIFU a viable alternative in patients not candidate for radical therapy.