Unit 556 Therapeutic Applications
of Ultrasound

Ablatherm®

Scientific representative: Jean-Yves Chapelon, PhD.
Clinical Investigator: Dr. Albert Gelet, M.D.

The Ablatherm® treatment system is a commercially available machine for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. It uses proprietary high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology that was developed in our unit and transformed into a medical application by EDAP Technomed. Researchers from Team 2 continue to provide support for development of the system.

Ablatherm® administers a focused ultrasound beam to destroy well-defined tumors via a transrectal probe. The probe is also used for imaging, and with the aid of a computer and control software, the physician defines a target volume, advances the probe, and fires a series of ultrasound waves to destroy targeted tissue, usually in an average of 500 shots. Each shot induces a rapid rise in temperature that produces a local tissue necrosis and tumors are thus “thermally ablated” with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

The Ablatherm® system earned the European Community “CE” mark in May 1999 and is commercially available in Europe. Four major sets of patents with international extensions have been applied for jointly by INSERM and EDAP TMS S.A. and clinical trials for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval began at three prestigious medical institutions in the United States in 1999 (Georgetown University, the University of California at San Francisco, and Baylor University). Since the beginning of multinational clinical trials in 1994, over 1300 patients have been treated.

Clinical evidence of the effectiveness of treatment was published in the January 1999 issue of the Journal of Urology. Results indicated that Ablatherm was able to provide local disease control in 80% of cases (complete control in 56% and partial control in 24%).

It is too early to predict whether the Ablatherm® system will eventually be accepted and utilized as the preferred treatment for localized prostate cancer, but it offers many advantages over other methods and its success appears promising, especially for patients incapable of undergoing surgery. Ablatherm® treatment is relatively non-invasive with limited adverse effects and, unlike radiotherapy, the treatment can be repeated as necessary.

Read more about Ablatherm®