Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with desmoid tumors. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasonic energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.
How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling desmoids to be treated without surgery.
Advantages
The primary options for treatment of desmoids include surgery with the possibility of chemotherapy or radiation which can be needed depending on the location of the tumor.
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications and lower cost.
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial at Oxford University is evaluating the safety and feasibility of HIFU ablation of soft tissue tumors and intra-abdominal desmoid tumors.
The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.
See a list of treatment sites >
See a list of laboratory research sites >
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
The Model JC Haifu system has received regulatory approval in Europe for treatment of soft tissue tumors, including desmoid tumors. At present, focused ultrasound is not universally reimbursed for treatment of desmoid tumors.
Patient Advocacy
Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation
The DTFR encourages you to join the DTRF Patient Registry to facilitate research efforts. With access to your experience as a patient, researchers will be able to continue learning and making new discoveries in the field of desmoid tumors. If you have ever had a desmoid tumor, you can participate.
Notable Papers
Quek LHH, Chan LWM, Pua U. Local Treatment of Desmoid Tumors: An Update. Semin Intervent Radiol. 2024 Jul 10;41(2):135-143. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1786813. eCollection 2024 Apr. PMID: 38993596
Garnon J, Cazzato RL, Autrusseau PA, Koch G, Weiss J, Gantzer J, Kurtz JE, Gangi A. Desmoid fibromatosis: IR (sometimes) to the rescue for an atypical disease. Br J Radiol. 2024 Jul 12:tqae128. doi: 10.1093/bjr/tqae128. PMID: 38995730
Düx DM, Baal JD, Bitton R, Chen J, Brunsing RL, Sheth VR, Rosenberg J, Kim K, Ozhinsky E, Avedian R, Ganjoo K, Bucknor M, Dobrotwir A, Ghanouni P. MR-guided focused ultrasound therapy of extra-abdominal desmoid tumors: a multicenter retrospective study of 105 patients. Eur Radiol. 2024 Feb;34(2):1137-1145. doi: 10.1007/s00330-023-10073-9. Epub 2023 Aug 24. PMID: 37615768
Chen Y, Yu Q, Xu Y, Qian G, Zheng Y, Jiang L, Hu B. Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blockade in high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for extra-abdominal desmoid tumors: a case series. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2024 Jan 3;14(1):1225-1233. doi: 10.21037/qims-23-516. Epub 2023 Nov 6. PMID: 38223099
Huang K, Hong R, Luo L, Zhao H, Wang Y, Li Y, Jiang Y, Zhou H, Li F. Efficacy and safety of different thermal ablative therapies for desmoid-type fibromatosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2023 Oct 1;13(10):6683-6697. doi: 10.21037/qims-23-289. Epub 2023 Sep 11. PMID: 37869315
Yeo SY, Bratke G, Knöll P, Walter SG, Maintz D, Grüll H. Case Report: Desmoid tumor response to magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound over 4 years. Front Oncol. 2023 Jun 9;13:1124244. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1124244. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37361566
Click here for additional references from PubMed.