Rochester Regional Health recently announced it is now offering Focal One, the latest generation of high intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of localized prostate cancer at Rochester General Hospital.
RGH is the first in the region to use Focal One HIFU, which improves upon the first generation HIFU system the hospital has been using since 2017.
Focal One HIFU allows doctors to deliver a non-invasive precision therapy to the prostate, without removing it. It reduces the likelihood of common side effects often associated with radical surgery and radiation therapy, including urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
“Having used the first generation Ablatherm HIFU device with my prostate cancer patients for the past two years, I have seen first-hand the effectiveness of HIFU in treating diseased prostate tissue while leaving the organ largely intact,” said physician John Valvo, executive director of the Polisseni Center for Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery.
“HIFU has been a major differentiator for our hospital, and I am very excited to begin using Focal One. Its state-of-the-art non-invasive robotic technology is the perfect complement to our existing therapies for prostate cancer patients.”
“Rochester is fortunate to have world-renowned medical providers and researchers helping to advance how diseases are diagnosed and treated,” said Patrick Fisher, prostate cancer survivor and founder of Us TOO Rochester, a support, education, and advocacy group for men with prostate cancer. “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2010 and since then there have been huge advancements in diagnosis and treatments like Focal One HIFU. Patients like me can now get focused treatment on just the affected area and not the entire prostate.”
Focal One received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prostate tissue ablation in June 2018. The new HIFU device fuses magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) and biopsy data with real-time ultrasound imaging. It gives urologists integrated, detailed 3D views of the prostate on a large monitor and directs high intensity ultrasound waves to ablate the targeted area.