High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) firm SonaCare Medical is partnering with University College London (UCL) to create a HIFU center of excellence, SonaCare and UCL said.
The center will provide physician training along with clinical studies, research on patient satisfaction, and advanced technology development related to two HIFU systems: the Sonatherm laparoscopic HIFU surgical ablation system and the Sonablate 500 transrectal HIFU surgical ablation system.
The Sonablate 500 is a precise transrectal HIFU system that can effectively transition from treating the entire prostate to treating only the cancer-affected areas, they said, while Sonatherm enables the development of new minimally invasive options for certain tumors.
The collaboration will enable the expansion of HIFU in a responsible and effective way, UCL said. Tissue-preserving strategies have been used successfully in other solid organ cancers such as kidney cancer, and focused cancer therapy is not only effective but also it reduces treatment side effects, offering new avenues to prostate cancer care that can effectively balance clinical effects and quality of life, UCL and SonaCare said.
