A trial looking at high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat areas of prostate cancer contained in the prostate gland (focal ablation)

This trial was looking at high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for localised prostate cancer.

Doctors can treat localised prostate cancer with surgery or radiotherapy. But both of these can cause side effects such as urinary problems, difficulty getting an erection (impotence) and bowel problems including diarrhoea.

Doctors have been looking at a treatment called high intensity focused ultrasound or HIFU which they hoped would cause fewer side effects. High intensity ultrasound beams can kill cancer cells if the beam is focused directly onto them using a special machine.

In this trial, the doctors used HIFU for prostate cancers that were completely within the prostate gland. Rather than treating the whole of the prostate gland, the doctors only treated the areas that contained cancer. This is called focal ablation treatment.

The main aim of the trial was to learn more about the side effects of focal ablation using HIFU.