British doctors develop revolutionary new Cancer Therapy

British doctors are developing a revolutionary new therapy for cancer and associated conditions based on the use of high-powered beams of ultrasound.The researchers, working at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), at the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, outside London, have already used the technology to kill harmful tissue deep inside the bodies of patients suffering from metastatic bone lesions, without recourse to any form of surgery. And in future, doctors believe they will also use ultrasound to zap prostate, breast and other tumors. “This technology has immense potential,” said Professor Gail ter Haar, who is based at the institute. High-intensity focused ultrasound (Hifu) could also be used to release specially designed capsules of cancer drugs inside a tumor, say researchers.
Ultrasound involves using sound waves with frequencies above the audible limit for humans. At low power, ultrasound can be used to generate images of internal organs or fetuses growing in the womb. However, at very high energies, it can destroy tissue. Such beams, which are typically 10,000 more powerful than those used in pregnancy scans, cause cells to heat up and die. “When we pick a target tissue to kill off, we need to heat it up to about 55C for at least a second. That is enough to kill it off,” said Ter Haar. “Crucially, we can do that with ultrasound. More importantly we can do it at places that are deep inside an organ, while leaving tissue on the surface unaffected.”