膵癌に対するhigh-intensity focused ultrasound療法

Pancreatic cancer is associated with a poor prognosis, with unresectable pancreatic cancer accounting for about 60% of cases. Chemotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy have been the standard therapies for unresectable pancreatic cancer. However, the outcomes of these therapies have not been satisfactory. Therefore, new advances in therapy are expected. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy is being promoted as a method to ablate the tumor and achieve relief of pain in unresectable pancreatic cancer. The focused tissue temperature reaches 80 – 100°C and coagulative necrosis within a few seconds. A clinical trial has been conducted to evaluate the safety and clinical application of HIFU therapy for unresectable cancer using the FEP-BY02 HIFU SYSTEM (Yuande Bio-Medical Engineering, Beijing, China) from December 2008. HIFU therapy may serve as a palliative therapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer.