title: High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of breast cancer.
abstract: The noninvasive ablation of tumors with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) energy has received increasingly widespread interest. The temperature within the focal volume of an ultrasound beam is rapidly raised to cytotoxic levels. HIFU can selectively ablate a targeted tumor at depth without any damage to surrounding or overlying tissues. Animal studies have shown that HIFU ablation is safe and effective for the treatment of implanted breast malignancies. The results from early clinical trials (Phase I and II) are encouraging, suggesting that HIFU is a promising treatment for small breast cancer. Once oncologic efficacy data from large-scale randomized clinical trials are available, HIFU ablation may become an attractive treatment option for patients with small breast cancer, especially the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Center for Tumor Therapy of 2nd Affiliated Hospital, and Institute of Ultrasonic Engineering in Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR China. mfengwu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: ter Haar
authors.forename: Wei R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy; D014463:Ultrasonography