ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A hospital in the Lehigh Valley will be the first in the state to use a non-invasive way to treat prostate cancer.
The technology, called Focal One, will roll out at Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street in Allentown this spring.
- Lehigh Valley Health Network will be one of the first hospitals in Pennsylvania to treat prostate cancer with noninvasive robotic technology
- The procedure is said to be more accurate and lowers the risk of side effects
- It will be available at Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street in Allentown in April
“With Focal One, we’re able to focus only on the diseased section of the prostate, which produces a much better outcome for the patient," said Dr. Angelo Baccala, chief of the Urology Division at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network.
"This is good news for patients with localized prostate cancer who are most concerned about protecting their quality of life."
It’s a robotic Focal HIFU, which stands for high intensity focused ultrasound. The device is used for precisely targeted ablation of diseased prostate tissue.
"This is good news for patients with localized prostate cancer who are most concerned about protecting their quality of life."Dr. Angelo Baccala, Chief, Division of Urology, at LVHN
During the procedure, the doctor navigates to the tumor, directs high-speed ultrasound energy at the target area and removes only the diseased portion of the prostate.
“With Focal One, we’re able to focus only on the diseased section of the prostate, which produces a much better outcome for the patient," Baccala said.
"This is good news for patients with localized prostate cancer who are most concerned about protecting their quality of life.”
The procedure is said to lower the risk of side effects and have less of an impact on the surrounding healthy tissue. The technology will be available in April.
