Recommended treatment HIFU

[FTLE]

just diagnosed with grade 2 Gleason 3+4 intermediate risk cancer confined to 1 single location, so HIFU is recommended treatment. NYU New York Urology claims 90% 5 year success rate (best rate among medical centers). Can anyone confirm this?

[Mike_B21]

Just wondering, did you only have one tumor or did you have others that were 6's?

[Tall_Allen]

Read these before deciding:

prostatecancer.news/2021/03...

prostatecancer.news/2016/12...

Note: the FDA only approved HIFU for the removal of prostate tissue (like a TURP), not for the treatment of prostate cancer.

[321adam]

Hi

I have used these guys.. vitusprivatklinik.com/en/ on 2x occasions for focal treatment and can recommend. They have been at it for a long time..

Ultimately i think doing your own research a must.

Every individuals circumstances can be so different. A tiny variance can make a big difference to the final outcome.. (the position of the tumour etc)

Good Luck!

[dentaltwin]

What do they mean by "5-year success rate"? Survival? No BCR? 5 years seems too short.

[FTLE in reply to dentaltwin]

NYU claims a 90% 5 year success rate (although admitting it may be lower at other facilities).Sorry, but not familiar with “BCR”

[dentaltwin]

Biochemical recurrence--eg. rise in PSA. What is their definition of "success"? Presumably no evidence that there is still cancer. But I don't think you can necessarily make a decision based on that unless you know what they mean. Your chances of dying from prostate cancer in 10 years is almost certainly over 90%--even with no treatment.

[dentaltwin in reply to dentaltwin]

This study shows only 8.5% of patients with early localized prostate cancer died of prostate cancer in untreated patients.

(I am NOT suggesting you shouldn't be treated!)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/155...

[ron_bucher]

There is no way to be sure that prostate cancer is confined. Just because it doesn't appear on a scan or in a biopsy doesn't mean it isn't there.

Of the hundreds of guys I've met or read about, I've never heard of anyone having success with HIFU.

A 5 year success rate isn't very relevant if you expect to live another 15-20 years or more and survive cancer.

[FTLE in reply to ron_bucher]

Wow. Any studies you have seen?

[ron_bucher in reply to FTLE]

I've read lots of studies but none about HIFU.

I'm always cautious about using studies to decide treatments for my cancer because:

- studies contain outliers and one never knows if his case would be an outlier

- studies rarely follow patients beyond 5-10 years which I thought was irrelevant being diagnosed in my fifties

- studies have sponsors with motivations that may not focus primarily on the best interests of the patient(s)

- every case is unique, so even the best studies might not be relevant

[fast_eddie in reply to ron_bucher]

I had full gland HIFU ablation surgery Oct 2016 for Gleason 8 prostate cancer. 8 1/2 years later I am doing just fine at age 75. No ED, no incontinence. I was on ADT for six months only and that was when they had me on a path toward external beam radiation that I decided against. No problems other than a PSA that crept up to 3.2. I've had axumin, pylarify, and prostate MRI scans in the interim in response to this mild PSA growth. All came back clean as a whistle. No signs of metastasis. I am happy I went out of state and out of pocket to get this surgery from a very experienced surgeon based out of Santa Rosa, CA. Be wary of those who rabidly condemn a treatment modality they have zero personal experience with.

[ron_bucher in reply to fast_eddie]

I didn’t mean to condemn anything - just saying I had not heard of any successes with HIFU and had not read any studies on it. Good to hear a success story.

[j-o-h-n]

Greetings FTLE, Would you give us a little more meat to chew on (re: Bio). All info is voluntary but it will help you and help us too. Thanks and Keep Posting.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[fast_eddie]

I would just recommend full gland, rather than focal ablation. That was my choice when I received HIFU surgery 8 1/2 years ago. I had TURP (roto rooter) surgery 10 years prior. That might be considered a prerequisite for HIFU. Good luck.

[Melatonin6]

My HIFU was done in the Bahamas before being approved in the US. July 2012. Recovered in a couple days. Libido returned quickly, but orgasms, a little longer. Some ED, not bad. Other functions recovered fully in a couple days.

I have stayed on a keto diet since then, but PSA gradually returned to the present 6.3. Now have stage 4, no pain, and apparently not metastatic yet. No other treatment so far.

Cannot repeat, I am told, as my prostate is now too small so my urinary tract would be endangered.

Looking back on it, it was a super good decision as compared to the alternatives then and now.

[FTLE in reply to Melatonin6]

Thank you. That was helpful.