New Delhi: Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre is seeing a growing role for organ-preserving focal High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) in the treatment of carefully selected men with localised prostate cancer, according to an official statement issued by the institute.
The New Delhi-based institute has incorporated HIFU into its multidisciplinary prostate cancer programme for appropriately selected patients, the statement said, adding that careful patient selection, advanced imaging and multidisciplinary assessment remain important for the treatment.
The statement cited a 10-year international study published in the journal European Urology, which analysed 3,477 men treated with HIFU and cryotherapy and reported a prostate cancer-specific mortality of 0.13 per cent and metastatic disease in 3.3 per cent of patients during long-term follow-up.
According to the statement, the researchers concluded that organ-preserving focal HIFU could be considered alongside radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy as a first-line treatment option for appropriately selected patients with localised prostate cancer.
The majority of patients in the registry received treatment using the Sonablate High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound platform, the statement said.
Dr Sudhir Rawal, medical director and chief of genitourinary oncology at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, highlighted the evolution of HIFU from whole-gland treatment towards focal therapy, which targets the cancerous portion of the prostate while preserving healthy tissue where clinically appropriate, according to the statement.
Rawal stressed that the encouraging long-term evidence needs to be considered alongside careful patient selection, high-quality multiparametric MRI, tumour characteristics and multidisciplinary evaluation, it said.
Unlike radical prostatectomy, which involves removing the entire prostate gland, focal HIFU uses focused ultrasound energy to destroy targeted cancerous tissue, according to the statement.
For suitable patients, the approach aims to reduce treatment-related effects such as urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction while allowing less invasive treatment and faster recovery, it said.
However, the institute cautioned that not all prostate cancer patients are candidates for focal therapy.
PSA levels, multiparametric MRI, targeted biopsy and the location and characteristics of the tumour remain important in determining whether a patient is suitable for the treatment, the statement said.
The statement also cited growing scientific interest in focal therapy at the fifth annual conference of the Society of Genitourinary Oncologists, SOGOCON 2026, held in Hyderabad, where a dedicated session discussed HIFU, cryotherapy and irreversible electroporation for localised prostate cancer.
Improved awareness, PSA testing, multiparametric MRI and targeted biopsy are helping detect prostate cancer at earlier stages, when organ-preserving approaches may be considered for selected patients, according to the statement.
The institute said the focus on HIFU reflects a broader shift towards precision and personalised treatment in prostate cancer care, with cancer control being considered alongside preservation of quality of life.
