High-intensity ultrasound helps curb prostate

Ablation using high-intensity focused ultrasound can effectively control some types of localized prostate cancer for five years or longer, according to a study by German researchers.

Dr. Andreas Blana and colleagues at the University of Regensburg's St. Josef Hospital evaluated results from 140 patients with early or intermediate localized prostate cancer who underwent treatment across
Europe between 1997 and 2001. Follow-up prostate biopsies were negative in 86.4% of patients who underwent focused ultrasound ablation, with a five-year PSA-related failure-free survival rate of 77%. The overall disease-free rate at five and seven years was 66% and 59%, respectively. Findings were published online Nov. 5 in European Urology.