Mumbai: The US-based Ultrasound technology
major High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Devices (HIFU) Friday
launched `Sonablate` for the treatment of prostate cancer.
A worldwide leader in the development, distribution and
use of minimally invasive high intensity focused ultrasound
technologies brought Sonablate services for the treatment of
prostate cancer in the city`s Jaslok Hospital & Research
Centre.
Sonablate treats localized prostate cancer with
ultrasound energy that, when delivered, rapidly heats and
subsequently destroys the targeted tissue but leaves
surrounding healthy tissue intact, Dr Shailesh Raina, who has
performed HIFU procedure using Sonablate HIFU at Jaslok told
media.
Sonablate HIFU is very patient-friendly technology for
the treatment of organ confined prostate cancer, he said.
"The patient needs to be carefully evaluated & selected
before using HIFU technology. This is yet another
armamentarium for the treatment of organ confined prostate
cancer," Raina said.
"The-long term side effects are also less expected since
the treatment is done by sound waves rather than radiation,"
Raina said.
The treatment is most convenient as the patient is
admitted only for one day and, since there is no blood loss
during procedure, can return to work very quickly.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common non-skin
cancers in men and one of the leading causes of male deaths due
to cancer. Though prostate cancer occurs in elderly, it is not
uncommon in patients above 40 years also.
Naren Sanghvi, US HIFU`s Chief Scientific Officer, a
person of Indian origin is the inventor of the technique and
Sonablate HIFU is used in over 250 centers worldwide,
including Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina and the Bahamas, Mukesh Rana, Country Manager said.
Although it is a non-invasive procedure, it is carried out
under general anaesthesia or spinal anaesthesia for almost
three to four hours, Rana said adding it would cost a patient
Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh.
PTI