Ultrasound could brilliantly destroy tumors, at least partially.
Cancer research is arguably one of the greatest areas of research in modern medicine today. Faced with such complex and devastating diseases, scientists do not close the doors and sometimes use methods that are far from medicine, as far as we can understand it. Today, ultrasound is in the spotlight.
Ultrasound can destroy tumors brilliantly
The University of Michigan just published a fascinating article – if you understand scientific English, don’t hesitate! about ultrasound technology that could offer a non-invasive treatment to destroy cancerous tumors with “millimeter precision.”This would finally allow us to say goodbye to the often very cumbersome surgical alternatives.
This technique is called histotripsy. It consists of sending very focused shock waves that destroy cancer cells enough to damage them. Since the procedure is non-invasive, targeting specific targets in the body can be very difficult depending on the location and nature of the surrounding tissue. It is for this reason that it is absolutely necessary to study the results obtained with partial removal of the tumor.
even partially
Most of the data we have today comes from successful experiments on rats with liver cancer. Scientists claim that even partial destruction of the tumor (50-70%) can stop the progression of the disease, and in some cases, the immune system can get rid of the rest of the tumor on its own.
Clinical trials are under way in the US and Europe in patients with liver cancer, and the results may be promising. Currently, liver cancer is the focus of this study, which can be explained by the fact that this cancer is one of the most common and severe cancers worldwide.