Focused Ultrasound Therapy of the Prostate with MR Guidance

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common cancers in the male population worldwide. Focal therapy for PC is now considered an emerging alternative to active surveillance for the management of low-risk PC, with the overall aim of treating only areas of cancer, minimizing lifetime morbidity without compromising life expectancy. One option within focal therapy, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), represents an innovative technique that may selectively ablate known the disease while preserving existing functions. In the last 10 years, the feasibility and the safety of US guided HIFU has been tested in a growing number of clinical studies. More recently, magnetic resonance imaging was combined with HIFU principle and was presented as a novel technique for focal ablation of PC. In this review we introduce the technology of Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) and the current status of clinical applications in the therapy of PC.