Ultrasounds aren’t just for baby images anymore. A new wave of research is using it to fight diseases by focusing sound energy in a specific place. Doctors can now target and destroy tissue without making any incision. This technology, known as focused ultrasound, is quietly leading us into a new era of non-surgical cancer treatment.
This technology has already proven effective in treating neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and even mood disorders, and scientists are rapidly expanding its use in oncology. More and more studies are showing how focused ultrasound can destroy tumors, overcome metastases, and even make other cancer treatments, such as cancer immunotherapy, work better.
Improved ultrasound technology for tissue processing
The potential of ultrasound began to be explored early. In 1940, scientists discovered that focusing ultrasound waves on a specific area could heat and destroy tissue, just like focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. While researchers have seen the potential for using ultrasound to treat many diseases, this technology needs significant improvement.
To overcome the tissue surrounding the target area to absorb any ultrasound waves, researchers have begun using large, advanced ultrasound sensors to electronically direct and focus the sound beam while imaging detailed anatomy of the target area. With these advances, doctors can finally apply sound waves precisely when needed, as Richard J. Price, professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia in 2016. Preservation.
Thanks to advances in imaging and acoustic physics, focused ultrasound has moved from theory to therapy. Abundance of Clinical trials Its potential in treating dozens of diseases ranging from rare brain disorders to cancer is now being explored. Some promising results include using sound waves to help drugs reach the brain more effectively, stimulate immune responses, and break down stubborn tumors.
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Targeting tumors with ultrasound
One of the most exciting roles for focused ultrasound lies in cancer immunotherapy, which trains the body’s immune system to fight tumors. Since some cancers, such as breast, pancreatic and brain tumors, are difficult to target solely with immunotherapy because they do not elicit a significant immune response, adding ultrasound may change that.
by Detonating tumors with precisely targeted sound wavesResearchers can break it down into smaller pieces that drain into nearby lymph nodes. There, immune cells encounter the fragments and learn how to recognize and attack the cancer. In fact, ultrasound helps “teach” the immune system what to look for.
What has been approved?
The results so far are promising. According to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, clinical trials are testing focused ultrasound for several types of cancer, including skin cancer and brain tumors. Outside the United States, this method has already been approved for the treatment of breast and pancreatic cancer, and in 2023, it will be… The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a related ultrasound technique called tissue fragmentation for liver tumors.
Ongoing trials show that this approach is generally safe, with few complications. While scientists continue to improve the technology, many believe we are only scratching the surface of what focused ultrasound can do, providing us with a future in which cancer treatment may mean no surgery, scars, or hospital stays at all.
This article does not provide medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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