[Treatment of localized prostate cancer with high-intensity focused ultrasound]
1Klinik für Urologie und Kinderurologie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg A.ö.R., Medizinische Fakultät der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Deutschland, daniel.baumunk@med.ovgu.de.
Background:
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an alternative technique in the treatment of prostate cancer (PC). Despite proven oncologic efficacy, HIFU is still not establish as a standard therapy for PC in Germany due to insufficient clinical studies.
Objectives:
HIFU can be performed as primary whole gland treatment, primary focal treatment, or salvage treatment in patients with local recurrence after external radiation therapy (RT) or seeds (BT). This paper provides an overview of the current significance of HIFU therapy in Germany.
Results:
Primary whole gland HIFU treatment showed approximately similar oncologic efficacy and side effects when compared to radical prostatectomy (RP) and RT or BT but results were not better than standard therapies. Between the priorities of the active standard therapies, on the one hand, and active surveillance, on the other, primary focal HIFU treatment may offer a new therapeutic approach for patients with low- and early intermediate-risk diseases. Diagnostic uncertainties and the lack of validated oncological outcome data are currently strong limitations to the results of primary focal treatment. Salvage treatment may offer intermediate-term disease-free survival for patients with local recurrence after RT or BT, although it may be accompanied by increased side effects.
Conclusion:
Currently, there is only little need for an alternative whole gland treatment besides RP and RT/BT. The number of patients with low- and early intermediate-risk diseases continues to grow. Some of these patients may benefit from primary focal HIFU treatment. Prospective multicentric clinical trials are needed to validate the oncologic efficacy of primary focal HIFU treatment.
