St. Bernards Medical Center has successfully performed Arkansas' first noninvasive treatment of early-stage prostate cancer, lessening the risks and side effects that often come with traditional surgery or radiation.
Urologist Emma Jacobs, M.D. performed the procedure using a technology known as Focal One® Robotic Focal HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound). Men receiving this treatment go through an outpatient setting where physicians like Dr. Jacobs use a probe to destroy diseased portions of the prostate without damaging surrounding healthy structures. In all, the procedure itself takes about an hour to an hour and a half, and patients likely get discharged the same day.
Dr. Jacobs said the latest robotic surgery option at St. Bernards raises a standard for prostate cancer treatment in Arkansas and southeast Missouri.
“Before HIFU, men with localized prostate cancer needing treatment underwent prostate removal or radiation which required numerous treatments,” Dr. Jacobs said. “The intermediate approach of Robotic Focal HIFU allows us to destroy only the diseased parts of the prostate. In turn, we minimize potential side effects like ED and incontinence.”
While intended as a single, one-day treatment, Robotic Focal HIFU is a repeatable procedure unlike surgery or radiation. In addition, it does not take away a patient’s ability to have radiation or surgery in the future if needed.
“We’re not making incisions,” Dr. Jacobs said. “Instead, HIFU causes localized heating to destroy the diseased tissue. This ablation process helps us preserve our patients’ quality of life and get them back to their everyday activities more quickly.”
In a recent study of more than 3,000 patients, Focal One Robotic HIFU compared favorably in cancer control to complete removal of the prostate and some surrounding tissue, known as radical prostatectomy. Meanwhile, HIFU significantly lowered impacts on functional outcomes like urinary incontinence and erectile function compared to patients who received surgery.
This is an unedited press release from St. Bernards Medical Center.