Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ:PROF; TSX:PRN) has announced today that The Hong Center Scottsdale, led by Dr. Y. Mark Hong of Integrative Urology in Phoenix, Arizona, has achieved a world-first milestone: 200 TULSA Procedures™ performed independently by a urologist, without radiologist involvement. This landmark establishes a new model for delivering MRI-guided prostate therapy.
In a statement, Arun Menawat, CEO and chairman of Profound, commented, “Dr. Hong’s longstanding commitment to innovation and compassion for his patients made him a pioneer in bringing the TULSA Procedure—a clinically proven, advanced prostate disease treatment, to patients. This 200-procedure milestone is more than a number—it represents the hundreds of men who are now living cancer-free, with preserved quality of life, thanks to his expertise and dedication.”
The TULSA Procedure, performed using Profound’s TULSA-PRO® system, is a significant advancement in prostate care. Instead of surgery or radiation, treatment is performed inside an MRI suite using robotically controlled, directional ultrasound to precisely ablate prostate tissue while protecting surrounding structures. TULSA-PRO is the only AI-powered, MR-guided robotic system for prostate therapy, enabling real-time MRI thermography and autonomous temperature control. This allows physicians to see, monitor and adjust treatment throughout the procedure—delivering personalized therapy with exceptional precision. Often, TULSA Procedures have involved collaboration between urologists and radiologists. Dr. Hong’s independent workflow proves that a urologist alone can safely execute the full procedure—from image planning to ablation—while achieving excellent outcomes.
Among the earliest adopters of the TULSA Procedure, Dr. Hong built one of the world’s first urology-driven practices to offer incision-free prostate care at The Hong Center Scottsdale. Treating patients from Arizona, nationally and internationally, Dr. Hong routinely performs whole-gland, focal, BPH and salvage cases with consistent, high-volume success, achieving exceptional outcomes without procedural blood loss or hospitalization. His experience and expertise have allowed him to treat the most complex of cases with rapid recovery, high cure rates, and preserved urinary and sexual function.
Dr. Hong remarked, “Having performed hundreds of robotic prostatectomies, I recognized early the potential of the TULSA Procedure to transform prostate cancer treatment. Since accountability is the most important factor to improving as an independent surgeon, we are proud of refining the TULSA technique over 200 cases to cure cancer while not causing harm. In my view, TULSA represents the future of prostate disease treatment, one that will ultimately replace radical prostatectomy as a first-line option for prostate cancer.”
Dr. Hong is one of the world’s first board-certified urologists to complete a fellowship in integrative medicine. A graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Hong completed his general surgery training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his urological surgery residency at Harvard Medical School. His research on prostate cancer and the fear of cancer recurrence remains one of the first works of its kind in the published literature. Dr. Hong completed a robotic and minimally invasive surgery fellowship at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has published extensively in nearly every international urological journal.
