In a new study, researchers found that innovative use of focused ultrasound showed promise against glioblastoma, the deadliest brain tumor, and could prove useful against other difficult-to-treat cancers.
The technique hits cancer cells with a drug that sensitizes them to sound waves, then blasts them with focused ultrasound. The sound waves create tiny bubbles inside the cancer cells, causing them to die.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Glioblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in adults. They are inevitably fatal, typically within 12 to 18 months of diagnosis.
The shortage of effective treatments for this aggressive cancer means new approaches are needed desperately.
To evaluate the potential of their new technique, the UVA researchers looked at its effects on both rat and human cell samples.
They examined the benefits of the “sonosensitizing” drug, 5-ALA, and focused ultrasound individually and in combination, and they found that the pairing was far more effective than either alone.
The drug reduced the number of viable cancer cells by 5%, while focused ultrasound reduced it by 16%. Together, the reduction was 47%.
The work is early, with researchers testing the concept on cell samples in lab dishes.
But the team says their new method has substantial potential for the treatment of malignant brain tumors and other challenging oncology indications, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma.
They predict the technique will be particularly useful in treating cancers in sensitive parts of the body that are difficult to access.
One author of the study is UVA Health neurosurgeon Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD.
The study is published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.
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