Prostate Cancer
What is HIFU for prostate cancer?
The short answer
HIFU stands for high-intensity focused ultrasound.
It uses focused sound waves, guided by imaging, to heat and destroy cancer tissue.
Worth knowing
It can treat part of the prostate or the whole gland, with no incisions.
It's usually outpatient.
It may fit certain localized cancers, and it aims to lower side effects.
Long-term results are still being studied, and follow-up MRIs and PSA tests check the result.
Our urologists also offer Vanquish, another focal therapy.
When to come in
If you have localized prostate cancer, ask whether HIFU fits you.
Talking it over with us
We’d be glad to talk this through with you at our Snellville Clinic & Surgery Center, 1557 Janmar Rd, Snellville, GA 30078, or our Conyers Clinic, 1366 Wellbrook Circle Suite B, Conyers, GA 30012. You can ask for a particular urologist by name, or let our scheduling team find the first opening.
How our urologists approach this
When prostate cancer is found early and stays in the prostate, there’s often more than one reasonable path. Our urologists explain where HIFU fits alongside active surveillance, Vanquish, robotic prostatectomy and radiation, including brachytherapy. We look at your biopsy, MRI and PSA history, and we ask about your priorities, such as urinary control and erections. Then we help you weigh the choices without hurrying you.
What to expect when you see us
Please bring your biopsy report, MRI and PSA results. We’ll go over them with you, explain what the treatment day and recovery look like, and plan the follow-up MRIs and PSA tests that check your results afterward.
Getting ready
Bring your biopsy report, MRI and PSA results. Write down what matters most to you, such as urinary control and erections, so we can keep it at the center of the plan.
When to call us
Call us if you have fever, trouble urinating or heavy bleeding after treatment, or if a follow-up PSA result worries you.
Watch a short video
For more background on prostate cancer imaging and care, these videos from Advanced Urology are worth a look.
Keep reading
This is general education, not a diagnosis. All articles