Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation

Some current and future applications

Currently, MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of uterine fibroids and has obtained CE-mark approval in Europe (the equivalent of FDA approval in the US) for uterine fibroids and pain from bone metastases.

In addition to the approved uses, there are ongoing clinical trials for

• bone metastases 
• enhanced treatment of uterine fibroids 
• breast tumors
• brain tumors

Within ten years, further improvements in molecular imaging will allow the non-invasive visualization of even small clusters of cells. When these imaging advances are coupled with projected technological improvements in both focused ultrasound and in pharmacological agent delivery vehicles, an even wider spectrum of new medical applications can be imagined.

Some of the exciting capabilities of focused ultrasound include the ability to:

• destroy tumors - eliminating prostate, breast or other cancer tissue while leaving the normal tissue unaltered. It does so with greater precision than radiation therapy. It can be repeated as often as necessary, with no cumulative dose affect or secondary tumors.
• deliver a drug “payload” where it's needed. Antibiotics, powerful chemotherapy agents, or growth factors can be “shipped” in nanoparticles smaller than red blood cells to wherever they're needed in the body, and released only there. Without flooding the rest of the body with unnecessary toxins.
• dissolve a blood clots. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided Focused Ultrasound beams can “zap” a blood clot in seconds - reversing the effects of a disabling or life-threatening stroke.
• ease the pain of bone cancer. When cancer spreads to the bone, it causes severe pain (as often happens in the final stages of cancer.) Radiation can result in harsh side effects, so it can't be repeated very often. By contrast, focused ultrasound destroys not only the cancer, but the nerve endings that are causing the pain. This gives the patient profound relief - and can be repeated over and over, with little side effect.