The Focal One is an advanced robotic high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) system.
Newswise — HACKENSACK, NJ - March 20, 2023 – Hackensack University Medical Center’s Department of Urology is now offering an advanced, noninvasive treatment option for patients with localized prostate cancer.
Focal One is an advanced robotic high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) system that allows Hackensack University Medical Center urologists to precisely target and destroy diseased prostate tissue using sound waves — minimizing the risk of side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction that are associated with surgery to remove the prostate and radiation therapy.
Focal One combines real-time ultrasound image guidance with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biopsy data to create a 3D image of the targeted treatment area. Using a small probe inserted into the rectum, a urologist navigates to the tumor using 3D image guidance, directs high-speed ultrasound energy at the target area and ablates, or destroys, only the diseased portion of the prostate — without the need for any incisions.
The fusion of these technologies enables urologists to destroy tumors with increased precision and less damage to surrounding healthy tissue, minimizing the risk of side effects associated with radical prostatectomy surgery or radiation therapy.
The addition of Focal One builds on the Department of Urology’s reputation for state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary care for urologic cancers. For the past 15 years, Hackensack University Medical Center urologist Kevin Basralian, M.D. has been traveling worldwide — including the Bahamas, Switzerland, and Canada, where the technology has been approved for years — to perform HIFU procedures for prostate cancer, making him one of the premier physicians in New Jersey at performing HIFU procedures.
Dr. Basralian has also participated in research on HIFU for prostate cancer and has been working to raise awareness about focal therapy as an option for patients.
“I have patients who come to me for second and third opinions who are not aware that focal therapy is an option,” said Dr. Basralian. “The Focal One machine is phenomenal, the treatment is unparalleled, and we want our patients to have access to the therapies that provide them with the best possible outcomes after prostate cancer treatment.”
“Dr. Basralian’s extensive experience with HIFU and our acquisition of the Focal One system means we can now offer our patients access to advanced, incisionless prostate cancer treatment delivered by an expert urologist right here in New Jersey, without the need to travel far from home,” said Michael D. Stifelman, M.D., Chair of Urology, Hackensack University Medical Center, Director of Robotic Surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health, and Professor and Chair of Urology, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “We are proud to be at the forefront of urologic cancer care and research, and offering noninvasive Focal One HIFU treatment represents the next frontier in prostate cancer treatment.”
ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center, a 803-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, was Bergen County’s first hospital founded in 1888. It was also the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence, receiving its sixth consecutive designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The academic flagship of the Hackensack Meridian Health network, Hackensack University Medical Center is Nationally-Ranked by U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. The hospital is home to the state's only nationally-ranked Urology and Neurology & Neurosurgery programs, as well as the best Cardiology & Heart Surgery program. It also offers patients nationally-ranked Orthopedic care and one of the state’s premier Cancer Centers (John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center). Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as High-Performing in conditions such as Acute Kidney Failure, Heart Attack (AMI), Heart Failure, Pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Diabetes and Stroke. As well as High Performing in procedures like Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG), Colon Cancer Surgery, Lung Cancer Surgery, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement. This award-winning care is provided on a campus that is home to facilities such as the Heart & Vascular Hospital; and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion, which houses the Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, the children’s nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. Hackensack University Medical Center is also home to the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and is listed on the Green Guide’s list of Top 10 Green Hospitals in the U.S. Our comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development. The hospital has embarked on the largest healthcare expansion project ever approved by the state: Construction of the Helena Theurer Pavilion, a 530,000-sq.-ft., nine-story building, which began in 2019. A $714.2 million endeavor, the pavilion is one the largest healthcare capital projects in New Jersey and will house 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms with intraoperative MRI capability, 50 ICU beds, and 175 medical/surgical beds including a 50 room Musculoskeletal Institute.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey. The network’s notable distinctions include having more U.S. News-ranked hospitals than any other health system in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, are ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, their combined nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.
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