Title:High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in the Treatment of Breast Cancer
Volume: 28
Issue: 25
Author(s): Loreto B. Feril, Rodney L. Fernan and Katsuro Tachibana*
Affiliation:
- Department of Anatomy, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka City,Japan
Keywords:
High-intensity focused ultrasound, therapeutic ultrasound, ablation, image-guidance, non-invasive modality,
breast cancer.
Abstract: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a non-invasive method of ablating
malignant tumors. This paper will review the current clinical application of HIFU specially
in the treatment of breast cancer. In addition to clinical studies, this review will also
look into some basic studies that could address the technical issues related to this modality.
In general, HIFU is considered to be safe being non-invasive and non-ionizing.
The complication occurrence rate is low and repeated treatment is possible, making it an
attractive option for some patients. However, for more than two decades since it was first
used to treat breast cancer, clinical studies on HIFU still remain at the investigative stage
and are only available in several centers. Reasons contributing to such few studies on HIFU
include lack of specialized medical team and bioengineering technical staff, and
breast cancer-dedicated imaging-HIFU platform to attain positive outcomes. Despite these
circumstances, we believe that HIFU will eventually become the treatment of choice
for most breast cancer patients in the near future.
