Since 2011, Vitus Private Clinic has been a global leader in focal and minimally invasive prostate cancer treatments. By combining precision diagnostics, real-time imaging, and non-thermal treatment methods, our therapies are designed to eliminate the cancer, not the prostate.
As a leading centre for prostate cancer innovation, each of our therapies targets the tumour at its root while preserving both potency and continence.
Our Treatment Philosophy
Every case of prostate cancer is unique and requires individualized care. That is why we carefully examine each patient’s file, assess the stage of cancer, and design a therapy plan tailored to each individual.
At Vitus Private Clinic, our guiding philosophy is simple: eliminate the cancer locally while preserving quality of life.
We achieve this through:
- MRI diagnostics and precision prostate biopsy to identify the index lesion
- Real-time ultrasound imaging for millimetre-level accuracy during treatment
- Minimally invasive therapies that precisely target the tumour while preserving healthy tissue
- Supportive immunotherapy to strengthen the body’s systemic response to cancer
Minimally Invasive Prostate Cancer Treatments
Minimally invasive prostate cancer therapies offer a modern alternative to radical prostatectomy. Our non-thermal focal methods use needle electrode-based techniques to target only the prostate tumour, eliminating cancer cells while preserving healthy prostate tissue and the surrounding structures.
This approach helps avoid many of the side effects associated with traditional methods, such as urinary incontinence and impotence. Although focal therapy for prostate cancer is still considered relatively new and is often limited to early-stage or low risk prostate cancer, clinical experience has expanded significantly over the past decade.
At Vitus Private Clinic, we have pioneered minimally invasive, non-thermal focal therapies that are now used by leading centres worldwide. Our protocols extend eligibility beyond what most clinics offer, allowing us to treat localized, intermediate, and select advanced prostate cancer cases with precision.
Focal Therapy Advantages
Our focal, minimally invasive therapies are designed to destroy cancer while minimizing disruption to surrounding prostate tissue, helping maintain function and reduce side effects associated with traditional treatments.
- No surgical intervention
- Short clinic stay (48 hours including treatment)
- Precise diagnostics (MRI, biopsy)
- Erectile dysfunction 0 – max. 10%
Immunotherapy
At Vitus Private Clinic, we combine our focal therapies with immunotherapy to support the body’s ability to fight cancer cells throughout the entire system. While focal therapy destroys the primary tumour, immunotherapy helps the immune system recognize and respond to micrometastases that may already exist before diagnosis.
Prostate cancer is typically a cold tumour and does not respond well to immunotherapy on its own. Our abscopal therapy techniques, including IRE, ECT, and PDT, help change this by releasing prostate cancer antigens during treatment. These antigens make the cancer visible to the immune system and allow immunotherapy to work more effectively.
By combining focal therapy and immunotherapy, we can eliminate the local tumour while supporting the immune system in identifying and targeting cancer cells elsewhere in the body. In theory, this combined effect helps lower the risk of recurrence and provides a more complete, whole-body treatment approach.
Learn more about Immunotherapy →
Advantages of combination therapy
- Support local tumour destruction and systemic immune activity for improved cancer control
- Enhance immune recognition of cancer cells beyond the primary tumour site
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How Our Therapies Differ From Standard Treatments
Most prostate cancer centres still rely on the surgical removal of the prostate (prostatectomy), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or thermal focal therapies such as High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and cryoablation. While these methods can be effective, each has limitations and can cause lasting side effects that impact a patient’s quality of life.
At Vitus Private Clinic, our minimally invasive and combination therapies are designed to reduce those limitations. By using non-thermal focal treatments guided by real-time imaging, we can precisely destroy prostate cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue, nerve structures, and natural function.
| Treatment Type | Limitation | Vitus Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Surgery (Prostatectomy) | Removes the entire prostate, increasing the risk of incontinence and erectile dysfunction | IRE / IRECT precisely target tumors while preserving the prostate and its function |
| Radiation (IMRT, Brachytherapy, Proton) | Damages surrounding tissue and can lead to long-term side effects | Non-thermal focal therapy spares nerves and blood vessels |
| Hormone / Chemotherapy | Systemic treatments that cause fatigue and significant side effects | Immunotherapy supports the immune system with fewer systemic effects |
| Thermal Focal Therapies (HIFU, Cryoablation) | Use heat or freezing, increasing the risk of nerve and tissue damage | IRE / ECT / PDT use non-thermal energy that helps protect surrounding tissue. |
| Active Surveillance | Focuses only on observation without intervention | Targeted focal therapy treats the tumour early without whole-gland intervention |
Our Prostate Cancer Focal Therapies
Focal therapy treats only the cancerous area within the prostate gland, preserving healthy tissue, continence, and potency. At Vitus Private Clinic, our advanced non-thermal focal therapies represent some of the most precise and least invasive treatment options available worldwide.
Working in collaboration with partner clinics in Austria and the United States, Vitus has pioneered many of today’s leading non-invasive prostate cancer treatments. Our clinic remains the sole provider of several innovative therapies that are not available anywhere else.
Irreversible Electroporation (IRE / NanoKnife™)
Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) using NanoKnife™ technology is a modern, non-thermal therapy for prostate cancer. The treatment destroys cancer cells using electrical pulses that preserve nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.
Because IRE does not use heat or freezing, it maintains continence and preserves potency in up to 95% of patients. The procedure is minimally invasive, virtually pain-free, and completed within 48 hours, with most patients returning to normal activity shortly after.
IRE is an excellent option for localized prostate cancer, as well as select advanced and recurrent cases, including tumours previously treated with surgery or radiation.
Vitus Private Clinic helped pioneer the clinical use of IRE in collaboration with Professor Boris Rubinsky of UC Berkeley, one of the inventors of the IRE technology, and has treated more than 2,000 patients with this method.
Learn More About Our NanoKnife IRE Treatment →
Electrochemotherapy (ECT)
Vitus Private Clinic is the only clinic in the world offering Electrochemotherapy (ECT) for prostate cancer. The treatment combines short electrical pulses with a low dose of chemotherapy, allowing the drug to reach cancer cells more effectively while sparing surrounding tissue.
Because the chemotherapeutic agent is delivered directly into the tumour, only a fraction of the usual chemotherapy dose is needed. This targeted approach minimizes side effects and reduces strain on the body.
ECT is a gentle and effective option for treating prostate cancer, particularly for tumours near sensitive areas such as the sphincter, where precision and tissue preservation are critical.
Learn more about Electrochemotherapy (ECT) →
IRECT (IRE + ECT Combination Therapy)
IRECT is a unique therapy developed at Vitus Private Clinic that combines Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) with Electrochemotherapy (ECT) to treat advanced and complex prostate cancers. By merging both technologies, we can address more complex or difficult-to-reach tumour areas and eliminate cancer cells more effectively while preserving healthy tissue.
The procedure creates two treatment zones: one where tumour cells are destroyed immediately through IRE, and another where short electrical pulses enhance chemotherapy absorption, allowing remaining cancer cells to be destroyed gradually over several weeks.
Developed through more than a decade of clinical experience, IRECT offers a gentle and effective solution for patients with advanced or recurrent prostate cancer, including cases that have affected surrounding structures such as the bladder wall, sphincter, or rectum.
Learn more about IRECT therapy →
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a gentle, light-activated treatment that destroys cancer cells using a natural dye that collects in tumour tissue. When exposed to a specific wavelength of light, the dye activates and triggers a chemical reaction that selectively kills the cancer cells while sparing healthy structures.
Because PDT does not use heat or freezing, it preserves nerves, vessels, and connective tissue and offers a lower risk of incontinence or impotence. It is a good option for cases where tissue preservation is especially important or where tumours are located close to critical areas of the prostate.
PDT is most appropriate for focal cases where a targeted, structure-sparing approach is needed and where other treatments may carry a higher risk of functional impact.
Recovery & Quality of Life
Our minimally invasive therapies allow patients to recover quickly without the long-term side effects associated with surgical or thermal treatments. Because we target only the tumour and preserve surrounding tissue, recovery is straightforward and patients maintain their continence and sexual function.
All procedures are performed under general anesthesia, and most patients are discharged the morning after treatment. The full process at the clinic takes about 48 hours from admission to departure.
After discharge, patients can return to regular daily activities. A catheter remains in place for 10 to 12 days and can be removed at Vitus or by your local urologist.
Follow-up includes PSA testing and imaging to confirm tumour control. Any temporary urinary or erectile changes are uncommon and far milder than those seen after prostate cancer surgery or radiation.
Across our patient population, continence is fully maintained and potency is preserved in 90 to 95 percent of cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Focal therapy targets only the area of the prostate tumour while preserving nerves, vessels, and nearby healthy tissue. At Vitus Private Clinic, our focal therapy treatments are guided by MRI diagnostics, precision biopsy, and real-time ultrasound imaging to ablate the tumour with minimal impact on continence or potency.
IRE, ECT, and PDT kill cancer cells without heat or freezing, preserving the neurovascular bundle and urinary sphincter. In contrast, HIFU and cryoablation rely on temperature-based methods similar to focal laser ablation, which can damage healthy structures. This is why non-thermal approaches achieve significantly lower side-effect rates.
Yes. Vitus Private Clinic has pioneered protocols for intermediate risk prostate cancer, selected advanced cases, and complex recurrent cases, including situations that require repeat focal therapy. IRE and IRECT are effective even when cancer recurs after surgery, radiation, or HIFU, and insights from emerging clinical trials continue to support these approaches.
Treatment is completed within 48 hours. Most patients stay two nights, return to daily activities within a few days, and have their catheter removed after 10–12 days. Discomfort is minimal and significantly lower than after surgical removal of the entire prostate gland or heat-based therapies.
Follow-up begins with a control MRI the morning after treatment. Your care team will recommend appropriate intervals for future PSA testing and imaging to monitor tumour control and check for cancer recurrence. These evaluations can be done at Vitus or with your local urologist.
Yes. Non-thermal focal therapies preserve the structures responsible for continence and erectile function. Across our patients, continence is fully maintained and potency is preserved in 90–95 percent of cases, with significantly fewer side effects than whole-gland or thermal treatments.
Book A Consultation
Send us your MRI or medical documents and our team will assess your case and recommend the best minimally invasive treatment.
You can contact us by phone, email, or through our online form. Our international patient team is available to support you at every step.