A recent advance in high-focused ultrasound therapy (HIFU) technology has proven its use as an effective cancer treatment.
A multi-institutional research team from China was responsible for this breakthrough. They developed a semi-enclosed, spherical cavity transducer that can produce a focused, standing-wave field with a subwavelength-scale focal region and extremely high ultrasound intensity. This spherical cavity transducer generated tighter focal regions and greater pressure amplitude compared with the traditional concave spherical transducer.
According to researchers, the level of intensity generated by the new transducer design may lead to significant improvements in HIFU therapy. What is more, HIFU is a non-invasive, targeted treatment that uses sound waves to eliminate cancer cells .
HIFU uses an ultrasonic transducer to convert electrical signals into sound waves. Then, it concentrates ultrasound into a small focal region to raise the temperature to more than 65 decrees Celsius, thereby killing cancer cells without inducing damage to surrounding tissues.
This technique works in the same manner as focusing sunlight through a lens. HIFU can be used as an alternative to traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Sound Waves Prove To Be Possible Cancer Treatment In Various Studies
According to various studies and clinical trials, high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy proved to be a highly-effective cancer treatment. For example, researchers at the University College Hospital in London examined 625 men with prostate cancer and found that 93 percent of patients who underwent HIFU remained cancer-free five years following the treatment. What is more, surgery or radiotherapy was not necessary in these cases.
Data also showed that only one to two percent of patients who had HIFU treatment suffered long-term urinary incontinence, compared with 10 to 20 percent of patients who had surgery. Furthermore, only 15 percent of patients in the HIFU group developed erectile dysfunction compared with 30 to 60 percent of surgical patients.
This study has impressive results and it has the potential to transform prostate cancer treatment for many men in the future. In men diagnosed early by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing, this targeted therapy could be as effective as surgery to remove the whole prostate gland or radiotherapy and cause far fewer side effects.
A British clinical trial funded by the Medical Research Council has also found that 95 percent of patients who underwent HIFU therapy for prostate cancer remained cancer-free 12 months after the treatment. In addition, none of the respondents suffered urinary incontinence during the follow-up period.
Another Sound Wave Innovation To Watch Out For
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada have developed a new technique. This technique uses focused sound waves to activate minute particles known as nanodroplets. According to the researchers, the new technique was as accurate as using needles in biopsy.
With ultrasound energy, nanodroplets phase-change into microbubbles. That’s important because ultrasound can really oscillate these microbubbles. These microbubbles absorb the ultrasound energy and then act like boxing gloves to punch the tumor cells.