Prostate cancer treatment options 2012 continue to rely on more computer assisted imagery and precise targeting to treat prostate cancer by a non-invasive procedure if possible. Early stage prostate cancer can be treated very successfully with HIFU or high intensity focused ultrasound. The first North American clinic to offer and perfect this treatment is Maple Leaf HIFU of Toronto Canada.
Most prostate cancer found in men is of the localized prostate cancer type, which means the cancer has not spread outside the prostate gland. Prior to the expansion of HIFU treatments, there were various radiation and proton beam treatments available to try to more tightly target the treatment area and destroy tumor cells while not affecting much of the surrounding tissue.
Today with the Ablatherm HIFU computer controlled system, the procedure has been reduced to an outpatient procedure and involves a scan of the treatment area followed by computerized targeting of the tumor cells and the destruction of those cells by focusing a high intensity ultrasound beam on them which heats them up to a high level and destroys them without affecting surrounding tissue.
Many side effects of prostate cancer treatments can be avoided by using the HIFU method instead of resorting to invasive surgery or other methods which can cause more cases of impotence and incontinence among other long-term side effects of those prostate cancer treatment procedures.
As with any medical treatment, check with your physician or oncologist and gather pertinent information from multiple sources to make an informed decision.
The people at Maple Leaf HIFU, Toronto are very helpful in answering questions about treating prostate cancer effectively without incurring high risk of intolerable side effects.