High-intensity Focused Ultrasound in the Solid Tumor Treatment

ABSTRACT

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a technique that was first introduced in the 1940s as a potential method of destroying selective regions within the brain to aid neurobehavioral studies. A beam of ultrasound can be delivered to a targeted focus at a distance from its source, and if a sufficient amount of energy is concentrated in the focus, the cells lying within this focal volume are selectively killed. This is, therefore, a non-invasive method of producing selective and "trackless" tissue destruction in deep-seated targets in the body without damage to the overlying tissues. Although it had not been in clinical use for a long time, HIFU is now widely used as a non-invasive treatment method for malignant tumors of the liver, kidney, breast, bone, uterus and pancreas, as well as for the relief of chronic pain of malignant origin. Further improvement of technology and imaging of HIFU in the near future will make it one of the most important tools in the treatment of solid tumors, further expanding its clinical applications.