UCLA Clinical Trial Offers Additional Option for Patients with Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Dwight Baird’s prostate cancer had returned after he initially received external beam radiation treatment 22 years ago. He wasn’t a candidate for further radiation or surgery to remove the prostate so his options were limited.
Dwight selected a recent non-invasive treatment currently only being offered through clinical trials at academic sites in america – UCLA is the one site on the West Coast. Called HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), the technique delivers sound waves aimed toward the prostate tissue, which rapidly increases tissue temperature, destroying the cancerous lesions.
Three months after Dwight had the HIFU outpatient procedure at UCLA his PSA levels were undetectable. His UCLA urologists, Dr. Leonard Marks and Dr. Allan Pantuck, are pleased with these early results. Although his doctors note that Dwight’s experience is probably not typical and unwanted effects may vary amongst patients.
To qualify for the clinical trial, participants will need to have recurrent prostate cancer after treatment with external beam radiation therapy. Initial screening visits will involve physical exams, blood tests and an ultrasound of the prostate. Qualifying participants will receive the outpatient HIFU procedure under anesthesia and follow-up for a yr after treatment. All study-related costs, including the HIFU treatment, will likely be covered by the research study.
The study is sponsored by Focus Surgery, Inc., manufacturer of the The Sonablate® 500 system, which is the HIFU technology utilized in the study. Several thousand HIFU procedures have been performed in other countries, however the treatment is currently considered investigational in america. The UCLA study is an element of an FDA-approved clinical trial.
For more information concerning the study, please call Malu Macairan, research coordinator, at 310-794-3566.
Or visit us at www.urology.ucla.edu
