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Article: Technologies Tackle Early-Stage Prostate Cancer; Robotic surgery and HIFU are innovative, but it isn't clear that they trump conventional treatments.
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- August 23, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Adam Voiland
Ideally, treating prostate cancer both cures a man and leaves him free of side effects. But standard treatment, though good at eliminating tumors, often leads to impotence, incontinence, or both. Robotic da Vinci surgery and high intensity frequency ultrasound (HIFU) are two of the latest high-tech approaches aimed at avoiding side effects. The first is popping up in hospitals across the nation; the other remains off limits except to Americans with deep pockets and no qualms about traveling overseas to get treatment. Both look promising, doctors say, but more robust research is still needed to prove that either clears tumors as effectively as ...