title: The current potential of high-intensity focused ultrasound for pancreatic carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic carcinoma has one of the poorest prognoses among malignant tumors. Many pancreatic carcinoma patients who undergo common treatments, such as surgery, radio-chemotherapy and chemotherapy, gained little benefit because of the histological characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIFU is a new technique of noninvasive treatment for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. HIFU has the ability to ablate the deep tissues inside body from an external source using high-intensity focused ultrasound. The effects of HIFU can result in cell destruction and tissue necrosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from study in China in 251 patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma suggested that HIFU treatment could reduce the size of tumors without causing complications and prolong survival. Moreover, according to some reports from China, HIFU treatment is suggested to be useful as the one of palliative treatments for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. Our case of HIFU therapy for pancreatic carcinoma is presented including pathological findings in this paper. The results suggested that HIFU treatment might be effective in controlling local tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIFU therapy may have the possibility of becoming one of the combination therapies for treating pancreatic carcinoma in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan. a-sofuni@amy.hi-ho.ne.jp
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sofuni
authors.forename: Fuminori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moriyasu
authors.forename: Takatomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Kota
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Itokawa
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Shujiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoi
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D057086:High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed