A review of low-intensity ultrasound for cancer therapy.
The literature describing the use of low-intensity ultrasound in four major areas of cancer therapy-sonodynamic therapy, ultrasound-mediated chemotherapy, ultrasound-mediated gene delivery and anti-vascular ultrasound therapy-was reviewed. Each technique consistently resulted in the death of cancer cells, and the bio-effects of ultrasound were attributed primarily to thermal actions and inertial cavitation. In each therapeutic modality, theranostic contrast agents composed of microbubbles played a role in both therapy and vascular imaging. The development of these agents is important as it establishes a therapeutic-diagnostic platform that can monitor the success of anti-cancer therapy. Little attention, however, has been given either to the direct assessment of the mechanisms underlying the observed bio-effects or to the viability of these therapies in naturally occurring cancers in larger mammals; if such investigations provided encouraging data, there could be prompt application of a therapy technique in the treatment of cancer patients.
Department Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Andrew K W
AK
Wood
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Electronic address: Sehgalc@uphs.upenn.edu.
Chandra M
CM
Sehgal
D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D045423:Microbubbles; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media
Anti-vascular ultrasound; Cancer therapy; Low-intensity ultrasound; Microbubble contrast agent; Sonodynamic therapy; Ultrasound bio-effects; Ultrasound-mediated chemotherapy