Ablation treatment for prostate cancer.

Hi @kjacko,
You may be interested in these related discussions:
- Any experiences with HIFU localized ablation for prostate cancer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hifu-localized-ablation-for-prostate-cancer-e-g-at-stanford-med/

- Anyone do Tulsa Pro, newer laser ablation procedure? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tulsa-pro/

- Results after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/after-hifu/

What did you and your surgeon decide?

Most people call "ablation" as focal therapy, or focal treatment, or focal ablation and so on, unfortunately many differing words are used in differing places sometimes causing controversy. Here is a webinar perhaps of interest:
https://ancan.org/webinar-is-focal-therapy-right-for-your-prostate-cancer/

I had HIFU last week with no complications of erections or continence. I ablated one side of prostate with Gleason 7 and am on active surveliance on the other side of prostate for Gleason 6. I am 57. HIFU only works on the lower part of the prostate. I was told it is the least invasice. I walked in at 8 am and was out by 2 pm with a chathator for 6 days. I paid $22,000 for the surgery, but am told my insurance will cover it?

I saw this conference discussion seeking a consensus on when ablation (radiation, hifu, laser, cryo, et al) is an appropriate treatment strategy. I thought it was very helpful and I was looking for a thread to post it in on this forum. So here it is:
https://www.urotoday.com/conference-highlights/suo-2023/suo-2023-prostate-cancer/148308-suo-2023-falcon-gaining-consensus-on-focal-therapy-for-localized-prostate-cancer.html
What they did is test statements for consensus and then just published the statements about which most of the panelists agreed. Their panels purposefully included both people who did a lot of ablation (minority) all the way to people who did none (also minority.)
I think anyone considering ablation should read this set of consensus statements and ask how their situation compares to the consensus! That gives one more data point when listening to medical advisers as well as online or in print experts who may also have treatments to market and/or consulting on offer.
In hindsight, I can say my own urological counselors guided me to treatment beyond ablation in line with the consensus statements (I got RALP) even though I was close to the window of consensus and initially hoped to qualify within it, including for a clinical trial then in phase 2.