Prostate cancer has long presented men and their doctors with a major dilemma…
In most cases, it’s not fatal. It’s harmless. It doesn’t even affect a man’s health.
But in a few men, it spreads. Usually into bones. Then to the rest of body. At that point, it’s usually lethal.
The problem is that doctors have no reliable ways to tell the harmless cancers from the fatal ones. So men often err on the side of caution by having treatment.
Usually this means having their prostate surgically removed, having radiation treatment, or both.
But surgery and radiation bring a terrible cost. They often leave a man permanently impotent and/or unable to control his bladder. That means impaired or no sex. And wearing adult diapers.1
Now, a new study shows there is a better, safer alternative.
It’s painless, non-invasive, and the chances of side effects are relatively low.
And it’s extremely effective in stopping the cancer from spreading.2
Researchers at Imperial College London followed 625 men with prostate cancer. The average age of the subjects was 65. Each received a prostate cancer treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).
In the procedure, high-intensity sound waves target the tumor. They are delivered through an ultrasound probe inserted into the rectum.
This sounds worse than it is. Most patients report no pain and minimal discomfort. Unlike chemo and radiation, it does minimal damage to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. It can be performed as an outpatient procedure.3
HIFU: 100% Survival and Few Side Effects
The researchers checked on the patients five years after HIFU treatment to find out how many had died from their prostate cancer.
The results?
All of them survived.
That’s right, the survival rate was 100%.
That’s identical to surgery or radiation. But unlike those getting conventional treatments, the HIFU patients had low rates of loss of sexual function and bladder control.
The risk of urinary incontinence was 15 times lower in HIFU patients. Risk of ED was four times lower.4
Professor Hashim Ahmed was the lead author of the study. He is the Chair of Urology at Imperial College London.
“This latest trial of focal HIFU…suggests we may be able to tackle the cancer with fewer side effects,” he concluded.
The research was recently published in the journal European Urology.
This year, nearly 165,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. If you are one of them, show this article to your doctor before you commit to surgery or radiation.
HIFU is a way to get rid of your cancer…without destroying your quality of life.
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References:
1 https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2016/11/the-best-prostate-cancer-treatment/
2 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-prostate-cancer-ultrasound-treatment-effective.html
3 http://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/187086/prostate-cancer-ultrasound-treatment-effective-surgery/
4 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-prostate-cancer-ultrasound-treatment-effective.html