I am really thinking that HIFU might be the best thing for dup, but it seems so new...DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE one could find such a therapy?

cureall

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

Here's what I know and this may or not be factual: it's used to "kill" fibroid tissue, it's used for prostate problems. Evidently hifu is able to do something similar to what radiation can do without the fear of cancer causing rays. However, i know so little about it that I may not know the down sides to hifu. If you google high intensity focused ultrasound, you'll find some interesting ideas that may pique your curiosity. Also, I believe there is a study proposed in Germany that will look at what it can do for dupuytrens.
cureall

You people are amazing! Quick to judge and shoot down another possible alternative to this disease. Just from the info that I read from googling HIFU I would give it a try if it were available in my area.

Joe

That is the status of HIFU as "Cancer Therapy for Prostate Cancer"

This study will be not be enrolling new patients after January 15, 2011.

NYU Urology Associates is conducting a clinical trial for men with recurrent prostate cancer after failed radiation therapy, using the investigational therapy high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Every year, over 40,000 men with prostate cancer who are treated with radiation have their cancers return. The majority of these men must choose hormonal therapy in an attempt to control their cancer. Hormonal therapy prohibits the production of testosterone in order to slow down the cancer's growth. However, lowering of testosterone may cause side effects such as osteoporosis, increased risk of heart attack, stroke, loss of libido, depression, loss of mental acuity and impotence.

HIFU is radiation free and destroys residual cancer in the prostate using clean ultrasound energy. During the outpatient treatment, the prostate is targeted with precise sound energy, which heats the cells up to 100 degrees Celsius in seconds, causing the cells to die. In a small U.S. safety trial, 91% of the participants had a negative biopsy 6 months after the HIFU treatment.

If you have recurrent prostate cancer after radiation treatment, or if you have been on hormones to control your prostate cancer after radiation, you may qualify for the is trial.

There is no cost for this trial, nor does it require health insurance.

For further information, please click here to request information online. You may also call the Office of Clinical Trials at NYU Urology Associates directly at 212-825-6328. A member of our research staff will respond to your inquiry within 2 business days.


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What does this mean for Dupuytren ?

HIFU acts as a destructive surgery-like technique, would heat up the cells up to 100 degrees Celsius in seconds, causing these cells to die. ....

This means that heating and burning would be done to your hand or parts of it; who can assure, that no vessels, no nerves no tendons are destructed, which would mean an immediate destruction !

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Instead, ionizing preserves tissue but interacts with the genetic program of the cells preventing them to proliferate and create further scarring tissue

Edited 09/12/11 17:55