As reported earlier this year, experts gathered at the end of February and early March for a Foundation-sponsored workshop to discuss the role of focused ultrasound in treating pancreatic cancer. More than 70 leaders in medical oncology, surgery, cancer immunotherapy, focused ultrasound ablation and histotripsy, government regulatory bodies, industry, and scientific staff from the Cancer Research Institute and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation worked together to create a clinical roadmap for using the technology to treat, or assist in treating, this devastating disease.
“We are excited that workshop attendees defined three specific research directions, and we look forward to receiving research proposals and funding projects that accelerate the use of focused ultrasound in pancreatic cancer treatment. Incredible work has already been done in this area,” said Tim Meakem, MD, the Foundation’s Chief Medical Officer.
The content of the workshop has been captured in a white paper that is now available. This document discusses the state of the technology, past studies, current challenges, and future preclinical and clinical research directions for using focused ultrasound to treat pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is grateful for the work of Dr. Joo Ha Hwang, who organized and led the workshop.