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There are numerous treatments for prostate cancer and each has its own benefits and drawbacks. Patients and their prostate specialist must weigh many factors when determining the best treatment option. Age, Gleason score (measure of aggressiveness), PSA, lifestyle and quality of life issues all play a very important part in the equation of finding the optimal treatment.

HIFU treatment, which is short for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a state-of-the-art technology acoustic ablation technique that utilizes the power of ultrasound to destroy deep-seated tissue with pinpoint accuracy for treatment of prostate cancer. HIFU treatment focuses sound waves in a targeted area which rapidly increases the temperature in the focal zone causing tissue destruction.

The control and precision of HIFU treatment reduces the risk of common side effects such as impotence and incontinence.

HIFU treatment is a 1-3 hour, one-time procedure preformed on an out-patient basis under spinal or epidural anesthesia. Unlike radiation, HIFU treatment is non-ionizing so it can be repeated if necessary without damaging healthy tissue. This means that the HIFU treatment can also be used as a salvage technique if other prostate cancer treatments fail.

HIFU Treatment Information

An overview of what patients may expect during each phase of HIFU treatment – should you have any specific questions regarding treatment, please visit www.hifucare.com.

Before HIFU Treatment

The night before your HIFU procedure, you will be given two enemas that are administered 2 hours prior to the procedure. It is very important that you do not move during the HIFU procedure, therefore, after arriving at the treatment facility, you will be given an epidural (spinal) anesthesia that will numb you from the waist down. You will also be given light intravenous sedation.

During HIFU Treatment

The patient experiences no pain during HIFU treatment. A small probe that emits ultrasound waves directly to the prostatic tissue is inserted into the rectum. First, the prostate specialist captures real-time images of the prostate and the surrounding area. Treatment time varies depending on the size of the prostate, but generally lasts one to three hours. You may experience swelling in the abdomen as a result of the destruction of tissue, therefore a catheter is inserted and is typically worn for 2-3 weeks to make sure that the bladder can empty properly as your body heals. Most patients are able to resume a normal diet and lifestyle almost immediately. No hospital stay is required and the HIFU procedure involves no incision and no scalpel.

After HIFU Treatment

Immediately after the HIFU treatment there is a one to two hour recovery period at the treatment facility and then you are discharged to recover comfortably at your hotel. Your prostate specialist will prescribe some antibiotics and other medications for after the HIFU treatment, but most people don’t experience any pain after the procedure. You may experience some discomfort or body aches which is normal and temporary. Additionally, in the first one to two weeks after your HIFU treatment, you may experience very mild urinary symptoms such as frequency and/or urgency to void (the compelling urge to urinate, along with discomfort in your bladder), which are also normal and temporary.

How does HIFU work?

In order to understand the basic concept of how HIFU treatment works an analogy can be drawn between HIFU ablating the prostate and sunrays entering a magnifying glass to burn a leaf. When a magnifying glass is held above a leaf in the correct position on a sunny day the sunrays intersect below the lens and cause the leaf to burn at the point of intersection.

If you insert your hand into the path of either one of the sun rays individually, away from the point of intersection, there is no significant heat felt or harm caused. Alternatively, if you place your hand at the point of intersection you will be burned.

The scientific principles at work in this example are the same as those with the HIFU treatment. Instead of light as the energy source, HIFU treatment utilizes sound. Instead of a magnifying glass HIFU treatment uses a transducer. Just as the individual sunray is harmless to the hand, the individual sound waves are harmless to the healthy tissue it travels through.

During HIFU treatment, the prostate specialist uses continuously updated real-time images of the prostate to map out and execute the entire treatment plan. These images show treatment progression and permit the prostate specialist to customize treatment for maximum safety and effectiveness.

For more information on HIFU treatment visit www.hifucare.com or call at 1-866.876.3627

CONTACT PERSON Jeff Walker

COMPANY NAME Dr. Richard Lotenfoe, M.D.

TELEPHONE NUMBER 1-877-I- LUV-HIFU

FAX NUMBER 407-454-7888

EMAIL ADDRESS info@drlotenfoe.com

WESITE ADDRESS www.hifucare.com

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Mesothelioma treatment options are not all that varied considering that most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed well into the latter stages of the disease when surgical removal of the cancer is no longer possible. Radiation treatments, external radiation treatments, and brachytherapy are generally considered relatively productive at improving patient life and extending longevity.

Brachytherapy is the internal placement of radiation. A small device delivers a pinpointed stream of radiation to the sight of active cancer. Brachytherapy has been proven more effective than other forms of radiation therapy since it is more controlled and able to be placed in the center of cancerous cells. The accuracy of brachytherapy has improved patient chances by about 8% in some cases.

Mesothelioma treatments are not easy on the body, and brachytherapy is no exception. External radiation treatments can often be effective in cases where brachytherapy can not be accurately or safely placed. In either case this form of mesothelioma treatment is just one option. There are surgical mesothelioma options, and some patients prefer that as much cancer as possible be removed from the body. While this does not always remove enough cancer to salvage life, it can make the patient more comfortable, especially when added to other mesothelioma treatments.

Brachytherapy is considerably new in comparison to external radiation, and some patients feel more inclined to opt for treatment options that are time tested, although brachytherapy has had few complications since its inception. Brachytherapy has had about the same number of complications as external radiation, mainly a risk of infection or a risk of a required secondary placement.

This is no more complicated than the ill effects of external radiation treatments. External radiation treatments require the patient to go to a cancer center or hospital for their mesothelioma treatments. Brachytherapy treatments do not require chronic radiation treatments, although they do require regular monitoring.

When determining a mesothelioma treatment program, it is always best to try to make decisions regarding treatment options based on what is best for the patient, rather than what can the patient or the patient’s insurance afford. Unfortunately, mesothelioma treatments are quite costly, and patient decisions can often be ruled by the expense rather than the preference. This is an unfortunate flip side to improvements in mesothelioma treatments, the more technologically advanced the mesothelioma treatment is likely to be, the more expensive it often is. While this is not true in every case, it has become closer to the norm.

Because mesothelioma treatments are costly, not all mesothelioma victims are able to receive the mesothelioma treatments that they need or that would work best for them. External radiation, brachytherapy, surgical removals, and chemotherapy are only moderately expensive in comparison to other mesothelioma treatments, but when multiple treatment options are proposed, the expense naturally climbs.

Often multiple treatment options are too expensive for most mesothelioma victims, even with health insurance.

Those who have experienced the ease of brachytherapy report a 78% preference over external radiation treatments. Those who prefer the external radiation treatments cite their discomfort with the chronic release of radiation left inside their body. Naturally, medical science has tested the theory that the radiation delivered is exacting and precise and there isn’t the likelihood of radiation being randomly released throughout the body.

Some patients are still more comfortable with external radiation therapies knowing that the radiation is controlled from the outside of their body and once the treatment is over, the radiation is complete.

Choosing the best mesothelioma treatment involves making decisions based on financial viability, the stress and toll it is likely to take on the body, the percentage of effectiveness, and the patient’s ability to emotionally withstand the proposed treatment. Choosing between brachytherapy and external radiation treatment is a decision that only the mesothelioma victim and their family can ultimately make. The advice of doctors and other professionals may factor in, but a mesothelioma victim needs to be able to take into account what happens to their own body.

Despite the success of brachytherapy and patient comfort with external radiation, mesothelioma treatments are not typically a cure. Prolonging life and making patients as comfortable as possible is the aim of mesothelioma treatment.

This is an unfortunate fact regarding mesothelioma. The success rate of survival despite mesothelioma treatment is dramatically low. While medical research is still attempting to up the ante when it comes to mesothelioma treatments, without early detection, mesothelioma victims have an unbearably low survival rate. With new medications and new mesothelioma treatments, it is possible that one day the survival rate will eventually climb.