title: Incomplete tumor volume reduction may improve cancer prognosis.
abstract: Currently, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy are the standard treatment for un-resectable solid malignant tumors. New "virtual scalpel" methods, such as MRI guided focused ultrasound, can target tumor tissues for destruction without the need for a resection and its possible complications. Unfortunately, the current state of the art cannot guarantee the safe and full destruction of all the targeted tissues. The main hypothesis is that for cancer patients, even incomplete tumor volume reduction will increase the efficiency of some systemic therapies as well as of natural healing mechanisms, and thus, may improve the quality of life and the prognosis. It is conjectured that partial tumor volume destruction will reduce the releases of endocrine substances from tumor cells, thus, improving the overall systemic condition. Furthermore, it may improve the efficiency of chemotherapy and immunotherapy and possibly trigger a natural immune response. The decrease of tumor volume may also slow down the process of invasion and metastasis. It is recommended that as a standard practice of palliative care, any un-resectable tumor volume will be considered for destruction with virtual scalpel techniques such as MRI guided focused ultrasound. Furthermore, it is suggested that this process is synergetic with chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, P.O. Box 653, 84105 Beer-Sheva, Israel. armin@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shmilovici
mesh_terms: D004358:Drug Therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D014463:Ultrasonography