In four simple letters, this is great news for prostate cancer patients: HIFU

If you’ve noticed a lot of men with new moustaches sprouting, don’t be alarmed.

Say hello to your Mo Bros.

Mo Bros will spend this month (they call it “Movember”) growing moustaches. No, it’s not just men being MEN. These Bros are raising awareness and donations for men’s health. Specifically, they’re targeting prostate and testicular cancers.

A friend of mine named Brian is growing a not-very-attractive mo. (Sorry, Brian!) It’s in honor of his dad — a prostate cancer survivor. So I’ve got a modest donation of my own invested in Movember.

But I have something more important than a donation. It’s a tip for Brian and all other Bros.

If your doctor ever gives you a prostate cancer diagnosis, just say, “No,” to radiation treatment.

Instead, say, “HIFU.”

Focused…intense…ultra

The obvious drawback of radiation is that it’s, you know, RADIATION!

In oncology, radiation is as common as candy corn this time of year. It’s such a standard of care that patients don’t recoil in horror. But they should. Few toxins on earth are even half as harmful as radiation.

And, of course, there are adverse effects. These include diarrhea, rectal pain, and irritable bowels. As for long-range side effects, you can expect incontinence, impotence, and fatigue.

The success rate of radiation for prostate cancer is about 50%.

Fortunately, we can do better. It’s a new option called high-intensity focused ultrasound.

In HIFU, ultrasound heats and kills prostate tumors. This therapy has been around for a while, but research is limited.

A new UK study changes all that.

University College London researchers report remarkable results. Nine out of 10 prostate cancer patients treated with HIFU were cancer-free at one year.

The men had few major side effects. No men experienced incontinence. Only one in ten reported impotence.

Based on this study, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence stated that HIFU is safe and effective. NIHCE officials also gave the green light to larger trials in the UK.

I hope some portion of Movember donations go to further HIFU research. The sooner we move out of the radiation era of cancer treatment, the better.

You can find out more about the moustaches of Movember at us.movember.com.

Sources:
“New treatment for prostate cancer gives ‘perfect results’ for nine in ten men: research” Rebecca Smith, the Telegraph, 4/16/12, telegraph.co.uk

“High-intensity focused ultrasound in prostate cancer; a systematic literature review of the French Association of Urology” British Journal of Urology International, Vol. 101, no. 10, May 2008, bjui.org