Dr. George Suarez is widely known as the pioneering urologist who spearheaded the HIFU clinical trials with the FDA and is acknowledged as the foremost expert in the United States on the HIFU procedure applied to the treatment of prostate cancer. October 2016 marked the one-year anniversary since the FDA officially approved HIFU as a medical treatment for prostate cancer in the U.S. HIFU is a targeted, non-invasive, outpatient therapy that uses ultrasound energy to heat and destroy specific areas of cancerous tissue without damage to surrounding areas.
Dr. Suarez performed the first HIFU treatment in North America, and helped design and develop the first HIFU system. He has performed over 2,300 HIFU treatments – more than any other doctor in the world – and trained over 500 physicians in how to administer HIFU.
In the last year since HIFU has been FDA-approved there have been:
Over 450 HIFU cases performed in the United States
43 physicians throughout the United States actively treating prostate patients with HIFU, all of whom were trained in HIFU by Dr. Suarez
Over 100 HIFU cases performed by Dr. George Suarez (in 2016)
Dr. Suarez was able to show that HIFU significantly decreases the risk of impotence, from 80% to 2%, and incontinence, from 20% to .4%, when compared to other prostate cancer treatments such as surgical removal of the organ or radiation. In addition, the study showed a 95.4% decrease in PSA levels with 80% of patients remaining cancer-free for up to 10 years. HIFU is done in an outpatient setting and does not require surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. It can be used as a first line of therapy or as a salvage therapy for when other prostate cancer treatments fail.
“Having changed the culture of how we treat the most common cancer in men and having the opportunity to impact the entire community of urologists around the world is deeply gratifying,” said Dr. Suarez. “But most importantly, we can now provide an effective treatment that offers a cure without compromising quality of life and dignity for men.”
HIFU represents an historic advancement in the treatment of prostate cancer, which affects hundreds of thousands of men in the United States. For more information on Dr. George Suarez, visit www.hifumedicalexpert.com or call 305-274-7144.
