High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound
Concept
High-intensity focused ultrasound, also called HIFU knife, is a new technique to kill tumors without surgery or puncture. It is regarded as an excellent, non-invasive localized physical therapy in vitro by domestic and international experts. Many large-scale hospitals both at home and abroad have promoted the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound. Tens of thousands of patients have taken this therapy, which received remarkable therapeutic effect.
The HIFU treatment has many advantages: non-invasiveness, no requirement for anesthesia and puncture, no blood loss, remarkable therapeutic effect, quick recovery, strong security and repeated administration. Moreover, there is no restriction on the size and shape of the tumor. This treatment is an ideal way for people to perform surgery in vitro.
Principle of Treatment
HIFU knife treatment utilizes the ultrasound wave as a therapeutic source and it focalizes the power of ultrasound wave to destroy cancer cell with pinpoint accuracy, which causes coagulative necrosis of tumor tissue and makes it lose its ability to proliferate, invade and spread. This principle is similar to that of solar cooker, with concentrated sunlight generating great energy at the focus area. Generally speaking, the tumor will stop growing and be absorbed by the body gradually after the HIFU treatment.
Advantages
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU knife) is regarded as an excellent, non-invasive localized physical therapy in vitro by oncological professionals. Its advantages are as follow:
1.Effective treatment: Ultrasound wave can localize the cancer lesion in real time, and monitor the treatment process so it can effectively damage the cancer cell and ensure the therapeutic effect.
2.Strong security: As a physical therapy, there is no surgical incision, ionizing radiation and radiation pollution in radiofrequency ablation. Patients do not need to undergo general anesthesia, so this treatment is safe and free of potential risks.
3. Preservation on the organs and their function: As the radiofrequency ablation can damage the tumor tissue accurately and protect the healthy tissues, it is beneficial for preserving patient’s healthy tissue and its function of the cancerous organ. So it is possible for breast cancer patients to conserve their breast and for patients with malignant tumor of limbs to preserve their limbs.
4. Slight damage and few side effects: The radiofrequency ablation is a non-invasive therapy in vitro. There is no infection during the treatment process. Patient has quick recovery time with no scar present after the treatment. Moreover, as the treatment is conducted in vitro, it avoids the iatrogenic implantation of cancer cells, which is good for localized control of the tumor and reducing the chance of metastasis.
5. Strengthen patient’s immune function to fight cancer: After the high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment, the tumor tissue is damaged. Then the dead cancer cells release the tumor antigen and boost patient’s immune function to fight cancer .
6. Strong effect of comprehensive treatment: The high-intensity focused ultrasound damaged primary tumor tissues and residual lesion from three aspects, which are killing the cancer cells with extreme heat, damaging the blood vessels that nourish the tumor, and strengthening the immunity to fight cancer after treatment. This treatment effectively treats tumor both in local and the whole body and achieves ideal effects of comprehensive treatment.
7. Available to repeated administration: Local recurrence of tumor after surgery is one of the major causes of cancer treatment failure. For example, during the first surgery of large liver cancer, there may be removal of normal liver tissue in large numbers. So it will be difficult to conduct another surgery when there is local recurrence. However, when there is active cancer cell and cancer lesion in local verified by MRI after taking the HIFU knife treatment, patients are available to repeat administration till satisfactory effect has been achieved.
Indications
The high-intensity focused ultrasound is indicated to; extensive, primary and metastatic liver cancer, breast cancer, malignant bone tumors, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, retroperitoneal tumor, pelvic tumors, bladder cancer, palliative treatment for advanced malignant tumor or metastatic tumor, fibroid, mammary fibroma, benign liver tumor and all kinds of solid tumors verified by the B-ultrasound.