Key Points
- Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) uses focused ultrasound to activate agents that accumulate in tumor cells and cause cell death.
- Cancer Letters recently published a comprehensive review of SDT, including for primary and metastatic tumors, the agents used, combination therapies, and the proposed cellular mechanisms behind the therapy.
Rich Price, PhD, and his team at the University of Virginia recently wrote a comprehensive mini-review article about the status of sonodynamic therapy (SDT). In SDT, focused ultrasound is used to activate sonosensitizing agents, which selectively accumulate in tumor cells. When activated with focused ultrasound, sonosensitizers control tumor growth by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The presence of ROS kills tumor cells. Unlike chemotherapy, SDT does not produce off-target effects or toxicities; however, SDT can be combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
“Recently, there have been a handful of excellent review articles on SDT, but they have tended to focus on specific neoplasms,” said Dr. Price. “In this paper, we wanted to cover this rapidly expanding field in a more comprehensive fashion, albeit while staying concise. In particular, we emphasize how SDT may synergize with immunotherapy, a combination that we believe is especially promising.”
The article describes all SDT studies for primary and metastatic tumors, the sonosensitizers used for SDT, combination therapies, and the proposed cellular mechanisms behind SDT. Within the field of immunotherapy, SDT holds promise to promote anti-tumor immunity.