In the UK, HIFU is used as a treatment for recurrent prostate cancer and is not usually used to treat early, localised prostate cancer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently supports the use of HIFU to treat localised prostate cancer but wishes men to understand that research into the results compared to surgery and radiotherapy are not as great. Its guidelines on HIFU as a treatment for localised prostate cancer can be viewed on the NICE website.
HIFU is also not widely available in the UK and may only be available at specialist centres.
How HIFU Works
HIFU uses ultrasound (high-energy sound waves) to destroy cancer cells. It is usually used for prostate cancer that has returned after a first treatment such as radiotherapy. When high frequency sound waves are concentrated on body tissues, the tissues heat up and die.
Treatment is performed by inserting a probe into the rectum. The probe identifies the prostate gland and then ultrasound waves are targeted at the cancerous tissue.
It usually takes around 3-4 hours to perform HIFU under a general anaesthetic.
Speak to one of our nurses 0808 802 0010
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
