Ultrasound can explode tumors without surgery and is already approved for some cancer treatments
Ultrasound is no longer just for baby photos. A new wave of research uses it to fight disease by focusing sound energy on a specific location. Doctors can now target and destroy tissue without ever making an incision. This technique, known as focused ultrasound, is quietly leading us into a new era of cancer treatment without surgery.
The technology has already proven effective in treating neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and even mood disorders, and scientists are rapidly expanding its use in oncology. More and more studies show how focused ultrasound can destroy tumors, defeat metastases and even improve the effectiveness of other cancer treatments, such as cancer immunotherapy.
Refine ultrasound technology to manipulate tissue
Exploration of the potential of ultrasound began very early. In 1940, scientists discovered that concentrating ultrasound waves in a specific area could heat and destroy tissue, much like focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. As researchers saw the potential for ultrasound to treat several diseases, the technique needed to be significantly refined.
To overcome the tissues surrounding the target area to absorb ultrasound, researchers have begun using large, advanced ultrasound probes to electronically direct and focus the sound beam, combined with detailed imaging of the anatomy of the target area. With these advances, doctors could finally apply sound waves precisely where needed, explained Richard J. Price, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia in Conservation.
Thanks to advances in imaging and acoustic physics, focused ultrasound has moved from theory to therapy. Numerous clinical trials are currently underway, exploring its potential in treating dozens of diseases ranging from rare brain disorders to cancer. Some of the most promising results involve using sound waves to help drugs reach the brain more effectively, to trigger immune responses, and to destroy stubborn tumors.
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Targeting tumors with ultrasound
One of the most exciting roles of focused ultrasound is in cancer immunotherapy, which trains the body’s immune system to fight tumors. Since some cancers, like breast, pancreatic and brain tumors, are difficult to target with immunotherapy alone because they don’t elicit much of an immune response, adding ultrasound could change that.
By blasting tumors with precisely targeted sound waves, researchers can divide them into smaller pieces that flow into nearby lymph nodes. There, immune cells encounter the fragments and learn to recognize and attack the cancer. In fact, ultrasound helps “teach” the immune system what to look for.
What is approved?
The results so far are promising. According to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, clinical trials are testing focused ultrasound for several cancers, including melanoma and brain tumors. Outside the United States, the method is already approved to treat breast and pancreatic cancers, and in 2023 the FDA approved a related ultrasound technique called histotripsy for liver tumors.
Ongoing trials show the approach is generally safe, with few complications. As scientists continue to perfect the technology, many believe we are only scratching the surface of what focused ultrasound can do, giving us a future in which cancer treatment could mean no surgery, no scars, and no hospital stays.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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