Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with neurofibromatosis. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound 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 thermal ablation of the targeted tumor.
Advantages
The primary options for treatment of neurofibromatosis, vary based on the location of the tumors, but can include medication and invasive surgery.
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial for Neurofibromatosis type 1 that impacts peripheral nerves in adults has begun in Sweden.
For a full list of neurofibromatosis clinical trials, please see here.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for neurofibromatosis is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Tydings C, Yarmolenko P, Bornhorst M, Dombi E, Myseros J, Keating R, Bost J, Sharma K, Kim A. Feasibility of magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment targeting distinct nodular lesions in neurofibromatosis type 1. Neurooncol Adv. 2021 Aug 18;3(1):vdab116. doi: 10.1093/noajnl/vdab116. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec. PMID: 34604751
Click here for additional references from PubMed.
