Could Sound Waves Be Used to Treat Bone Cancer Pain?

The Institute of Cancer Research is currently conducting a clinical trial testing the effects of focusing high-frequency sound waves onto bone cancer sites in an attempt to burn away cancer-related pain.

“Focused ultrasound is an exciting potential cancer treatment because of its ability to target tumors very precisely. The point onto which the ultrasound beam is focused gets very hot, but the surrounding tissue is left unharmed,” said Gail ter Haar, PhD, the study’s co-leader and professor of Therapeutic Ultrasound at The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
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“It’s like using a magnifying glass in the sun to start a fire, where you need to form a sharp focal spot on the dry tinder,” she said.

Guided by magnetic resonance imaging, the treatment destroys nerve tissue in the area of the bone surrounding tumors, thereby eliminating pain. The method has, thus far, successfully reduced bone tumor-related pain in 5 patients.

The researchers noted that the method might also be of use in eliminating tumors during earlier stages of disease, extending the lives of patients, but further studies are needed.

The complete press release is published on the Institute of Cancer Research website.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

The Institute of Cancer Research. Sound waves being used to heat-treat cancer pain. January 21, 2015. www.icr.ac.uk/news-archive/sound-waves-being-used-to-heat-treat-cancer-pain. Accessed January 23, 2015.