Home Diseases and Conditions Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma

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Development Stage

Early Stage

Focused ultrasound research is in the laboratory phase and is not yet available for patients.

Clinical Trials

Focused ultrasound for this condition is being researched in clinical trials.

International Approval

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites.

FDA Approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved focus ultrasound for this condition. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating sites.

Early Stage

Clinical Trials

International

FDA Approved

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites. There are also clinical trials that may be of interest to patients.

Focused Ultrasound Therapy

Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, therapeutic technology that could transform the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with basal cell carcinoma. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces thermal ablation (burning of the target) that has been approved by the European CE regulators, and are now approved for use of this device.

The recent work by Toosonix (https://toosonix.com/) involves the use of a transducer device that is specifically designed to treat close to the skin, as it can be done with very low risk of having skin burns. This device has resulted in the recent CE Mark approval in Europe, so the Toosonix device is now covered for this and a variety of other medical and cosmetic indications.  

The primary options for treatment of basal cell carcinoma include medication and invasive surgery. For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a non-invasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications and lower cost.  

Advantages

  • Focused ultrasound is non-invasive, so it does not carry added concerns like surgical wound healing or infection.  
  • Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue. 
  • It can be repeated, if necessary. 

Clinical Trials

There is a clinical trial in Poland treating patients with basal cell carcinoma.  

There is a multi-site clinical trial in Denmark, treating basal cell carcinoma.

Regulatory & Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for basal cell carcinoma is covered under the European CE Mark, so it may be covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Kim J, Kim J, Lee DK, Shin EJ, Chang JH. High-Intensity focused ultrasound linear array and system for dermatology treatment. Ultrasonics. 2024 Sep 19;145:107477. doi: 10.1016/j.ultras.2024.107477. PMID: 39332247 

Calik J, Sauer N, Woźniak B, Wojnar A, Pietkiewicz P, Dzięgiel P. Pilot Study on High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Basal Cell Carcinoma: Effectiveness and Safety. J Clin Med. 2024 Jun 1;13(11):3277. doi: 10.3390/jcm13113277. PMID: 38892988  

Serup J, Bove T, Zawada T, Jessen A, Poli M. High-frequency (20 MHz) high-intensity focused ultrasound: New Treatment of actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and Kaposi sarcoma. An open-label exploratory study. Skin Res Technol. 2020 Nov;26(6):824-831. doi: 10.1111/srt.12883. Epub 2020 Jun 17. PMID: 32557832 

Click here for additional references from PubMed.