The University of Chicago Medicine became the first medical center in the Midwest to offer focal therapy to men with localized prostate cancer, using Focal One, the only advanced robotic ultrasound technology available to target and ablate diseased prostate tissue.
Focal One HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) makes it possible for doctors to deliver a non-invasive precision treatment to the prostate-without removing it-reducing the likelihood of negative side effects like incontinence and impotence commonly related to surgical treatments.
UChicago Medicine is the fifth medical center in the U.S. to acquire Focal One since the new system for prostate tissue ablation received 510(k) clearance from the FDA in June 2018.
"Focal One specifically targets the diseased tissue and allows the patient to retain his prostate and his quality of life," said Arieh Shalhav, MD, Fritz and Mary Lee Duda Family Chair, Chief, Section of Urologic Surgery, Professor of Surgery and the Comprehensive Cancer Research Center Director of Robotic Surgery at the University of Chicago. "Within a 90-minute procedure, we can pinpoint and destroy diseased tissue with minimal collateral damage. It bridges the gap between active surveillance and whole gland therapy."