Ultrasound treatment for prostate cancer may reduce side effects, study shows

According to a British study, a new procedure known as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) may help to fight prostate cancer while reducing side effects.

According to CBS, prostate cancer treatments such as surgery and radiation are known to have long-lasting and painful side effects in men, including impotence and incontinence.

The new treatment, which has patients back home in 24 hours, may be able to target specific cancer sites and use sound waves to heat up and kill cancer cells.

AFP reported the study authors as writing in a statement, "The results … show that 12 months after treatment, none of the 41 men in the trial had incontinence of urine and just 1 in 10 suffered from poor erections – both common side effects of conventional treatment."

"The majority of men (95 per cent) were also cancer-free after a year."

Typical prostate cancer treatments like radiation therapies and surgery are also far more costly than the new treatment, reported Bloomberg.

National Cancer Institute statistics show that there will be approximately 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer in the US this year leading to about 28,170 deaths.

"This could offer a transformation of the way we treat prostate cancer," lead researcher Dr. Hashim Ahmed, a urological surgeon at the University College Hospital in London, told BBC News. 

The study was published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

According to Reuters, "Love Story" actor Ryan O'Neal was reported on Tuesday as confirming that he has prostate cancer, yet he is expected to make a full recovery his doctors said.

Also on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire investor Warren Buffett had stage one prostate cancer.

In a letter to investors he wrote, "This is to let you know that I have been diagnosed with stage I prostate cancer. The good news is that I’ve been told by my doctors that my condition is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way."