Sound waves being used to heat-treat cancer pain

Ultrasound is normally thought of as an imaging technique, but there is increasing excitement over its use, at much higher power, as a treatment – particularly as an adjunctive treatment in cancer. We have been working on a pioneering multicentre clinical trial to test whether focusing highintensity sound waves onto the surface of bone into which cancer has spread can take away the source of pain. The trial started last summer and we have already received encouraging results from the five patients we have treated so far. 

The new technique we are testing as a method for relieving pain arising from metastases within bone is called highintensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). HIFU uses focused ultrasound beams to produce heat – just as a magnifying glass can with the sun’s rays – and is so precise that damage to surrounding, healthy tissue can be avoided. 

The trial is part of a wider initiative between The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the US-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation and Philips, the developer of the HIFU system. This collaboration is creating a state-of-the-art resource for clinicians and scientists to establish global standards for focused ultrasound and accelerate development of the technology to treat cancers.