High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for the treatment of hormone-resistant localized and locally-advanced prostate cancer

Effectiveness of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment was assessed for 341 patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer. The median time before hormone-resistance was 20 (3-48) months. The patients were divided into 2 groups with respect to risk of progression. Two hundred thirty eight patients underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in combination with HIFU, 69 patients underwent TURP one month before HIFU treatment due to the large prostate volume, and 34 patients received only ultrasound ablation. The HIFU procedure was carried out using the Ablatherm® HIFU device (EDAP, France). The median follow-up time after ultrasound ablation was 36 (3-52) months. The median PSA level 12 months after HIFU treatment was 0,04 ng∕ml in patients with localised PC, and 0,05 ng∕ml in patients with locally advanced disease. The medial PSA levels 36 months after HIFU treatment were 0,2 ng∕ml and 1,18 ng∕ml in patients with low and high risks of cancer progression, respectively. The Kaplan Meir analysis showed that the recurrence-free survival rate after HIFU therapy was 95,5 % in the group of patients with low risk of cancer progression (localized prostate cancer) and 80 % in the group of patients with high progression risk (locally-advanced prostate cancer).