My girlfriend's mother has been diagnosed with parotid cancer and the doctor has discussed alternative treatment, such as HIFU. We live in Asia, where HIFU is a little more prevalent than the West. But, we are still unsure about it and are trying to gain some more info.

Have any of you ever heard of this treatment in use for parotid cancer?

CW: Go to site www.mouthcancerawareness.org.uk.
Select 'Salivary Gland' under 'Patients Guide' in left hand column.

Then select: 'Patients Forum on Tumors of the Parotid Gland'.

I hope this will be helpful.

Regards, Fridge

Hi CW

It appears to be a very new treatment modality being trialed for prostate cancer. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is claimed to be minimally invasive through use of intersecting, precision-focused ultrasound waves to ablate diseased tissue.

A US clinical trial is being conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound with the Sonablate® 500. FDA clinical trials implementing HIFU in the treatment of prostate cancer, should begin Spring 2005.  For information on receiving treatment, visit www.internationalhifu.com.
Informational References:
Visit www.focus-surgery.com for an in-depth explanation of how the Sonablate® 500 works, the history of the technology and the physicians who have performed HIFU with the SB-500.

Hope that helps.

Best wishes
Vinod