Guided Ultrasound Treat Breast Cancer

Dedicated MR-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is being studied a possible treatment for breast cancer.

Developed by researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht (Utrecht, The Netherlands), the MR-HIFU system uses high intensity focused ultrasound energy directed into a tumor. This sound energy then dissipates in the tumor, generating heat at temperatures in excess of 65 °C, which is high enough to kill tumor cells without damaging the surrounding tissue. Concomitantly, the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides real-time imaging of soft tissue structures so that the HIFU beam can be accurately focused onto the tumor. It also spatially maps local tissue temperatures to provide real-time feedback for controlling the applied temperature profiles.

To facilitate the pilot clinical study, Royal Philips Electronics (Philips, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) has built a dedicated investigational system optimized for the anatomy of the female breast. The MR-HIFU treatment will be carried out under local anesthetic or sedation, and following treatment, a conventional surgical procedure will be performed to verify the precision of the treatment. The initial aim of the study is to assess the image quality achieved by the MR-HIFU system as well as the safety and precision of the technique. The first patient in the study has already been treated using the system.

“This new pilot study targets patients with small breast tumors that have not metastasized; these patients belong to a group that encompasses approximately a quarter of all breast cancer patients in the Netherlands,” said lead researcher interventional radiologist Maurice van den Bosch, MD, of University Medical Center Utrecht. “An important aspect of the MR-HIFU technique is that the skin stays completely intact, since everything can be done noninvasively: operating without making any incisions.”

“MR-guided HIFU could become a very powerful tool in the hands of physicians,” added Falko Busse, general manager of MR-Therapy at Philips Healthcare. “The benefits of its noninvasiveness have already been shown in the treatment of benign tumors of the uterus, offering patients an outpatient procedure with faster recovery and lower complication rates than surgical removal. We are now further developing this technology with the ultimate goal to advance cancer care.”

Related Links:
University Medical Center Utrecht
Royal Philips Electronics