High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Prostate Cancer treatment in the Germany Hospitals
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Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology offers the full range of services in the areas of its specialization. Men and boys with diseases of the reproductive system can be diagnosed and treated in the medical facility. Doctors also treat infertility and erectile dysfunction. Medical care is provided to men and women with diseases of the urinary system, namely kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The department is certified as the Prostate Cancer Center by the German Cancer Society (DKG), which indicates the excellent quality of the services provided in this area. The department's urologists have a perfect command of the innovative treatment methods, including holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), photodynamic therapy, and da Vinci robot-assisted surgery. The department employs comprehensively trained and experienced doctors who apply advanced medical achievements in their practice. Each patient is provided with an individual approach, considering their specific needs and wishes.
Department of Urology
The Department of Urology offers the full range of diagnostics and treatment in this medical field. The department's doctors have excellent qualifications in the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract and reproductive organs in men. Of particular interest is the treatment of malignant urological neoplasms, which include prostate cancer, testicular cancer, kidney and bladder cancer. The department has in its arsenal many effective conservative and surgical treatment techniques, which can fully restore men's health.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology offers the full range of services for the diagnostics and treatment of urologic diseases in men and children, as well as urogynecologic disorders in women. One of the priority focuses of the department's specialization is the restoration of potency in men. According to the international ratings, this is the best hospital in Europe, where a team of urologists effectively treats erectile dysfunction. Another key focus of the department's work is on the treatment of benign and malignant prostate diseases. To treat prostate cancer, the doctors perform low-traumatic robot-assisted interventions using the very latest da Vinci® XI HD surgical system. The therapeutic offer is complemented by the treatment of pathologies of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, testicles and penis. In the field of pediatric urology, the correction of congenital malformations of the reproductive system in boys is of particular interest. The department's doctors are professionals in their area of specialization, so the patients can be sure that they will certainly find an effective solution even for the most complex clinical case.
In Western countries, high-intensity focused ultrasound is becoming increasingly common as one of the methods for prostate cancer treatment. The technique is highly safe. With the help of HIFU, most patients are successfully cured of cancer. This is a sparing procedure that does not require a long recovery, significantly reduces the length of hospital stay, rarely leads to the development of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. You can undergo prostate cancer HIFU treatment in Germany. This country uses state-of-the-art equipment that allows doctors to completely destroy the tumor without damaging the tissues surrounding the prostate gland.
Content
- What is HIFU
- When is high-intensity focused ultrasound used?
- HIFU results
- Why is it worth undergoing prostate cancer treatment in Germany
- Where to seek medical help from
What is HIFU
Along with surgery, external beam radiation therapy, and brachytherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is one of the primary treatment options for prostate cancer. HIFU has advantages over both surgery and various radiotherapy options for prostate cancer. It combines the advantages of these methods.
Like radiation therapy, prostate cancer treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound is non-invasive. There is no need to make incisions on the body. HIFU does not cause radiation exposure on the body, while the effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound is about the same as that of surgery and radiation therapy. Most patients are completely cured of cancer as a result of therapy. The procedure for prostate cancer treatment is safe for health. It does not cause significant discomfort, as it is performed under spinal anesthesia.
The HIFU method is based on remote exposure to the prostate gland with ultrasound waves. They refer to mechanical vibrations whose frequency exceeds the limit of hearing of the human ear. The machine vibrates at the same frequency as alternating current, causing an ultrasound wave that can spread through the tissues.
When ultrasound spreads through the tissues, zones of high and low pressure are created. With high energy density at the focus, in the high pressure phase, the tissues are heated and irreversibly damaged. During the procedure, a temperature of up to 80 degrees is reached, which causes almost instantaneous destruction of cancer cells.
The second mechanism of action is cavitation. It is the result of the interaction of ultrasound and water microbubbles. When the bubbles reach resonance size, they suddenly collapse and produce high-pressure shock waves, destroying adjacent tissues in the process.
Currently, two mass-produced devices are used for prostate cancer treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound: the French Ablatherm and the American Sonablate 500 V5 TCM. The differences between them relate to patient placement, treatment algorithm, imaging, and technical details. Both devices are equally effective and are successfully used in German hospitals.
Doctors in Germany use equipment of the latest generation. HIFU for prostate is carried out under the guidance of MRI and rectal wall temperature measurement. Due to real-time thermometric feedback during the procedure, doctors in the departments of urology manage to reduce the risk of complications and achieve a better ratio of effectiveness and safety of treatment. On the one hand, healthy tissues do not overheat, which minimizes the risk of complications. On the other hand, doctors can make sure that all areas are warm enough, thus ensuring the maximum effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment.
When is high-intensity focused ultrasound used?
The main areas of application of the method are as follows:
- primary treatment of prostate cancer without metastases;
- destruction of recurrent tumors.
The technique is recommended for debilitated elderly patients who have contraindications to surgery or a high risk of complications. The use of high-intensity focused ultrasound is safe and therefore ideal for prostate cancer treatment in patients with chronic comorbidities.
HIFU is often used for prostate cancer treatment instead of radiation therapy in patients who have previously received pelvic or abdominal radiation. Repeated exposure to radiation is undesirable, as it increases the risk of post-radiation complications.
High-intensity focused ultrasound is used for the treatment of prostate cancer that has recurred after primary treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy. In most cases, the recurrent tumor can be completely destroyed, which reduces the risk of recurrence to a minimum.
HIFU is rarely used for prostate cancer at high risk of recurrence and progression. With such neoplasms, it is important for doctors to examine the lymph nodes to make sure there are no metastases, therefore, in such cases, prostate removal surgery is preferred. However, aggressive prostate tumors are rare. The majority of patients are in the low or intermediate risk group and all are potential candidates for high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment. In most cases, this procedure is chosen by men who do not want to have surgery, who want to minimize the risk of complications and return to normal life as soon as possible.
HIFU results
HIFU is considered one of the best treatments for prostate cancer in terms of efficacy and safety. The five-year survival rate of patients after prostate cancer treatment with this method reaches 99%. At the same time, the risk of complications characteristic of the surgical method and radiation therapy is minimal. The likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence is close to zero. In the best hospitals in Germany, the risk of these complications after prostate cancer treatment is calculated in percent fractions.
A systematic analysis by C.R. Ramsay, with more than 4,000 patients, showed the benefits of high-intensity focused ultrasound over the safest prostate cancer treatments used in urology. The five-year survival rate for prostate cryosurgery was 93%, for brachytherapy – 91%, and for high-intensity focused ultrasound – 99%. The frequency of complications in all groups was comparable.
HIFU therapy can be total and focal. More commonly, prostate cancer is treated with total high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy. This means that the entire prostate gland is destroyed. In addition, the departments of urology in hospitals in Germany use focal therapy, which ensures the preservation of a healthy part of the prostate gland. With this approach, prostate cancer treatment becomes even more sparing and safe.
Why is it worth undergoing prostate cancer treatment in Germany
Medical tourism is becoming more and more popular. If you live in a country with poorly developed medicine, you do not need to undergo prostate cancer treatment in your native country. To get the best results, get rid of cancer forever and avoid complications, you can go to Germany. The medical tourism agency Booking Health will take care of the organization of your trip. When undergoing treatment in the German hospital, you can count on modern, successful and safe prostate cancer therapy.
There are a few reasons for you to undergo prostate cancer treatment abroad with high-intensity focused ultrasound:
- Advanced equipment. In German hospitals, it is constantly updated. To provide prostate cancer treatment, doctors use equipment of the latest generation.
- Great experience. HIFU has been used in Germany as a standard prostate cancer treatment for more than 10 years, and based on clinical trials, the technique has been used for more than 20 years.
- Safety. You will be treated under the control of rectal temperature measurement and under the guidance of MRI, which significantly reduces the risk of complications.
- Focal HIFU. If the tumor is small and non-aggressive, doctors will only destroy part of the prostate gland. With this approach, there is a lower risk of complications, without worsening the results of prostate cancer treatment.
- Combination of different treatment methods. In addition to HIFU, hospitals in Germany perform surgical interventions, brachytherapy, and external beam radiation therapy. The best method is chosen for each patient individually. HIFU can be combined with other treatments for prostate cancer, such as hormone therapy.
Do not miss the opportunities that medical tourism gives you and plan your prostate cancer treatment in Germany with the Booking Health company. Thanks to our specialists, you will not only save yourself from organizational worries, but also save on medical treatment services.
Where to seek medical help from
To undergo prostate cancer treatment with high-intensity focused ultrasound, you are welcome to use the assistance of the certified medical tourism agency Booking Health. On our website you can get up-to-date and accurate information about the cost of medical treatment abroad, compare prices in different hospitals in Germany and immediately get an appointment for treatment. The cost of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy for prostate cancer is between 16,900 EUR and 25,150 EUR. The trip will be easier for you, and the cost of treatment abroad will be lower.
Please leave your request on the Booking Health website. Our employee will contact you, provide consultation, and answer all your questions. We will take care of the organization of your trip to Germany. We will provide the following benefits for you:
- We will select the hospital and the department of urology in Germany, whose doctors specialize in prostate cancer treatment and achieve the best results.
- We will help to overcome the language barrier and communicate freely with the doctor.
- We will reduce a waiting period for medical treatment, and you will get medical care on the most suitable dates.
- We will reduce the price. The cost of medical treatment abroad will be lower than usual. The price will be reduced by eliminating overpricing and additional coefficients for foreign patients.
- Our specialists will solve any organizational issues: paperwork, transfer from the airport to the hospital and back, hotel booking, and interpreting services.
- We will prepare your documents and translate them into English or German. You do not have to repeat the previously performed diagnostic procedures.
- We will keep in touch with the German hospital after the completion of treatment abroad.
- We will organize additional medical treatment, diagnostics, and rehabilitation in Germany, if required.
- We will buy medicines in Germany and forward them to your native country.
While the world's best specialists will take care of your health, the Booking Health staff will take care of all the travel arrangements and help reduce the overall cost of medical treatment abroad.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Farrukh Ahmed. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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