Researchers to use Focal One Ultrasound Technology for Prostate Cancer Treatment

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Department of Urology is now offering Focal One, an advanced noninvasive treatment option for individuals with localized prostate cancer. Focal One is an advanced robotic high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) system that allows urologists to accurately target and destroy diseased prostate tissue using sound waves, reducing the risk of side effects associated with traditional prostate surgery and radiation therapy such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

The system blends magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with real-time ultrasound picture guidance and biopsy data to generate a 3D image of the targeted treatment region. A urologist then navigates to the tumor using 3D image guidance, directs high-speed ultrasound energy at the target area, and ablates, or destroys, only the diseased part of the prostate, all without the need for incisions.

The combination of these technologies allows urologists to destroy tumors with greater precision while causing less harm to surrounding healthy tissue, lowering the risk of adverse effects associated with radical prostatectomy surgery or radiation treatment.

The department has been providing HIFU procedures for prostate cancer for over 15 years, and Focal One technology acquisition means that they can now offer advanced, incisionless prostate cancer treatment delivered by an expert urologist. Dr. Kevin Basralian, one of the leading physicians in New Jersey, has been traveling around the world to perform HIFU procedures for prostate cancer for the past 15 years. The acquisition of Focal One allows patients to receive treatment from an expert urologist without the need to travel far from home.