Scionti Prostate Center
The most experienced prostate treatment focal therapies doctor in the US—over 20 years, and thousands of patients treated.
Our Experience Sets Us Apart
Dr. Scionti is the most experienced TULSA and HIFU physician in the United States, with over 20 years of TUSLA and HIFU experience and 4,000 procedures.
He is the former Director of Prostate Cancer Ablative Surgery at NYU Medical Center and the Medical Director for Vituro Health. He now serves as the Prostate Cancer Program Director for HALO Precision Diagnostics, along with a world-class team of clinicians that deliver comprehensive, precision-focused healthcare.
Dr. Scionti and our science and technology partners have achieved breakthroughs in men’s health with diagnostic testing, early cancer detection, and minimally invasive therapies.
Early detection saves lives
1 https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/cancer 2 Cancer.org 3 Biomarkers and MRI for early PCa detection, https://pubmed.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/32897802 4 seer.cancer.gov
Our Patients Share Their Stories
The compassion and willingness to educate my wife and i about treatment options for prostate cancer could not have been more valuable. An experience with a doctor I have never had that has been so positive and valuable.Todd R.
Pioneers
of men’s health.
Our team takes a personalized approach to care, guiding patients throughout each phase of genetic testing, screening, diagnosis, and therapies. HALO Precision Diagnostic’s clinical ensemble is changing the way healthcare happens, offering a full view into each patient’s profile and providing physicians with keyinsights designed to better diagnose,understand, treat, and prevent disease.
Over the past 20 years Dr. Stephen Scionti has developed the largest and most experienced practice for prostate cancer treatment using minimally invasive thermal ablation technologies such as HIFU, TULSA-Pro, Cryoablation and Prostate Laser Ablation.
He has achieved global recognition for his experience, skill and groundbreaking clinical contributions in the field of image-guided prostate cancer ablation. He is also an internationally recognized authority in innovative prostate cancer diagnostics. Beyond his practice, Dr. Scionti actively researches and lectures on the outcomes and technology associated with minimally invasive prostate HIFU therapy ablation.
Dr. Scionti formerly served as Clinical Associate Professor of Urology and Director of Prostate Cancer Ablation Surgery at the Joel E. Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer located at the New York University School of Medicine and Langone Medical Center. Prior to his NYU appointment, he was medical director and founder of the Hilton Head, SC International Center for Men’s Health.
Dr. John F. Feller is a founding partner of Desert Medical Imaging and currently the Chief Medical Officer for HALO Diagnostics. He is board-certified as a Diagnostic Radiologist with sub-specialties in Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Imaging, Body MRI, and holds a Level II Cardiac CT certification. Dr. Feller is also a partner in China’s first American-owned multi-disciplinary outpatient healthcare facility, and serves as director of radiology.
After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science at the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Feller graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio State University School of Medicine, then an internship, residency, and fellowship training at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Serving as a United States Air Force (USAF) officer, Dr. Feller was the Chief of MRI at the David Grant USAF Medical Center for four years, while maintaining an academic affiliation with Stanford as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Radiology, an affiliation that lasted 15 years. Currently, Dr. Feller is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Loma Linda University’s Department of Radiology.
Dr. Feller has co-authored many peer-reviewed journal articles, and served as editor for the textbook Shoulder Magnetic Resonance Imaging. He has been invited to over 300 lectures on the subjects of orthopedic imaging, prostate cancer imaging, and body MR imaging.
Through partnerships with manufacturers of medical imaging technology, Dr. Feller has worked to develop new hardware and software for specific advanced imaging applications. Because of these partnerships, HALO Diagnostics (formerly Desert Medical Imaging) has cutting-edge technology available at any give time. Most recently, Dr. Feller started and leads an MRI-based prostate cancer detection and focal therapy program at HALO Diagnostics that has provided care to over 3000 men and he serves on the Founding Board of Directors of the Focal Therapy Society.
Dr. Feller was recently named one of the Top Doctors of 2020 by Palm Springs Life!
About Prostate Cancer Treatments
Concerns about prostate cancer are understandable, but prostate cancer is highly treatable. With the best interventions, most men continue to lead active, healthy lives many years after treatment. The diagnostic tools and treatment options we offer are among the latest and best medical advances available today.
We offer three different options for prostate cancer treatment.
Most Experienced, By Far
By far the most experienced doctor in focal therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer, Dr. Scionti is a pioneer in the field. He has performed more than 4,000 focal ablations over 20 years.
Broader than Focal, Less than Total
TULSA-PRO is a customizable, predictable, and incision-free procedure that allows the doctor to tailor the ablation to each patient.
Transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA-PRO) can more easily cover a wider area than laser focal therapy (LFT) / focal laser ablation (FLA). For patients who have a relatively larger cancer or somewhat diffuse cancer within the prostate, TULSA-PRO can cover almost the entire prostate gland in many patients.
Advantages of TULSA-PRO
Decreased Risk of Side Effects
TULSA-PRO has a decreased risk of erectile and urinary side effects compared to whole-gland therapy.[1]
Same-Day Outpatient Procedure
TULSA-PRO is performed in a single session that takes a few hours.
Lets You Keep Your Options Open
If you are in need of future prostate care, you may either have a repeat TULSA Procedure or choose any other type of prostate therapy to address your prostate needs.[2]
Advanced Image Guidance
Directional thermal ultrasound and MR imaging with active heat monitoring.
Customizable Treatment Plans
TULSA-PRO is customizable and personalized based on your situation and goals.
Shared Decision Making
Before your TULSA procedure, you will decide with your physician on a treatment plan.
1 Hatiboglu G, Popeneciu V, Bonekamp D, Burtnyk M, Staruch R, Distler F, Radtke JP, Motsch J, Schlemmer HP, Pahernik S and Nyarangi-Dix J (2021) Single-Center Evaluation of Treatment Success Using Two Different Protocols for MRI–Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation of Localized Prostate Cancer. Front. Oncol. 11:782546. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.782546 | 2 Nair, S.M., Stern, N., Dewar, M. et al. (2020). Salvage open radical prostatectomy for recurrent prostate cancer following MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) of the prostate: Feasibility and efficacy. Scandinavian Journal of Urology, 54(3), 215-219. doi: 10.1080/21681805.2020.1752795
Dr. Scionti has worked extensively with High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and with over 2000 successful procedures is considered one of the world’s most experienced HIFU surgeons.
He has collaborated with leading medical treatment centers around the world to help perfect HIFU technology, research medical applications, and train urologists to perform HIFU.
Additionally, Dr. Scionti is leading the effort to train American urologists in this therapy and served as Director of Clinical Education and Training for USHIFU prior to FDA approval of HIFU. Currently, Dr. Scionti uses HIFU to treat prostate cancer patients at the Vituro Health HIFU Center in Sarasota, Florida and serves as the Medical Director of Vituro Health.
Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment in which the prostate gland is frozen under real-time ultrasound guidance. This radiation free technology has been in use in the United States since the 1960s and the ability for ice to kill prostate cancer cells, regardless of their Gleason score, has been well documented.
This technology was modernized over 20 years ago incorporating computerized treatment planning, smaller needles that utilize Argon to deliver cold temperatures to the prostate, and improved ultrasound visualization.
The ideal patient for cryotherapy has a normal sized prostate and localized prostate cancer.
Advantages of Cryotherapy
- Minimally invasive treatment
- Radiation free
- No major incisions or blood loss
- Rapid return to normal daily activities
- Very low risk of urinary incontinence
- Equipment therapy to radiation.
Dr. Scionti has been performing cryotherapy now for over 20 years and have completed nearly 1000+ procedures.
Prostate cancer is a common cancer that typically grows slowly and often doesn’t require treatment. However, for a small percentage of men, this disease can be aggressive and spread quickly to other parts of the body.
Screening
The only way to know if you are in a high-risk group or have prostate cancer is to get screened regularly.
At HALO Precision Diagnostics, our individualized approach to screening is based on your age, family history, ethnicity, and lifestyle.
We are proud to offer advanced diagnostics that incorporate the four most important new technologies:
- Urine Biomarkers
- 3T Multiparametric MR Imaging & 3D Prostate Mapping
- Fusion-Guided Targeted Biopsy and 3D Tumor Mapping Genomics
- Blood Test
If your prostate screenings have indicated the presence of cancer, the next step is a biopsy to identify what type of cancer is present. At HALO Precision Diagnostics, we use the most advanced technologies like MRI-guided biopsy. Targeted biopsies have been shown to improve detection of aggressive prostate cancers.1
Diagnosis
Our state-of-the-art diagnostic approaches include:
- MRI-guided biopsy
- MRI/Ultrasound Fusion Guided Biopsy
Additionally, we offer genetic testing to further diagnose what type of cancer is present and to help determine the most personalizedtreatment approach.
Positive biopsy results can be sent to reveal the underlying biology of the tumor and determine a genomic risk score.
1. Siddiqui MM, Rais-Bahrami S, Turkbey B, et al. Comparison of MR/Ultrasound Fusion–Guided Biopsy With Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer. JAMA. 2015;313(4):390-397.
READ ON to learn about our advanced prostate treatment approaches, schedule a consultation, and download our whitepaper, Advances in Diagnosing and Treating Prostate Cancer. We believe the best outcomes come from the most informed decisions.
