December 14, 2005

Clinical Trial For Prostate Cancer Uses Ultrasound Technology

INDIANAPOLIS — A minimally invasive procedure using sound waves to destroy the tissue of the prostate gland is being tested for men with recurrent prostate cancer at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

The clinical trial utilizes High Intensity Focused Ultrasound administered by the Sonablate® 500 to destroy the targeted tissue of the prostate gland without affecting surrounding healthy tissue. Tissue in the prostate gland is rapidly heated in a matter of seconds by delivering HIFU energy with an ultrasound probe. The treatment usually is performed as an outpatient procedure.

Principal investigators of the study at the IU School of Medicine are Michael Koch, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Urology, and Thomas A. Gardner, M.D., associate professor of urology.

Participants in the study must be between 40 and 80 years of age and have previously had radiation or brachytherapy to treat prostate cancer. To qualify participants must also have cancer stage T1 or T2 confined to the prostate gland and have a Gleason score of less than or equal to 7.

For more information about the clinical trial, contact the IU Department of Urology at 317-278-3434, or see www.ushifu.com/trials.asp.
The study is sponsored by Focus Surgery, Inc.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year and that 30,000 men die from the disease annually.

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Media Contact:

Mary Hardin
(317) 274-7722
(317) 695-4090 (cell)
mhardin@iupui.edu