Breast Tumors
Breast fibroadenoma (FA) are benign tumor(s) located in the breasts. Although this tumor is not cancerous, patients may decide to have it removed for concern that it may develop into cancer. Breast FA affects approximately 10% of women and accounts for 30% and 75% for all breast biopsies (Kovatcheva, Stoinov, Guglielmina, Seror, & Abehsera, 2013). Currently, treatment centers for breast FA are located in Europe and Asia. Most patients tolerated the treatment well with only a moderate amount of pain and sensitivity in the area treated. According to (Wu, Wang, Cao, Chen, Bai, Zou & Zhu, 2003) eight out of eleven patients diagnosed with breast fibroadenoma were treated with HIFU and there were no adverse effects reported. The treatment induced lethal ablation without damaging surrounding healthy tissue or systemic effects.
This procedure is completed using a 3.5 MHz piezo-electric transducer and 7.5-12 MHz transducer located in the treatment head for precision and accuracy. The patient is placed in a lateral position (depending on which breast is treated) and images are acquired in a radial and anti-radial plane. The HIFU treatment head sends out consecutive sound waves for a period of time, depending on the size of the FA, at approximately 80 ͦ - 100 ͦ C. As the treatment is performed, a 3.5 MHz transducer is scanning the breast in order for complete visualization of the area being treated, and the surrounding area. The purpose of utilizing a 3.5 MHz transducer during the treatment is to observe if the HIFU is causing any damage to the surrounding area of the tumor. The sonographer evaluating the tumor would be able to visualize the tumor and the surrounding area in real time via gray-scale imaging.
Trials are current...
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...urred; the area containing the tumor was completely ablated with the HIFU treatment, and the pigs were sacrificed (Xie, Li, Jia, Nie, Du & Jiang, 2010). This experiment is another representation as to why HIFU is a great alternative form of treatment for cancer located in the pancreas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HIFU is a great alternative for radiation therapy because it is completely non-invasive, and lacks radiation, thus, making it safer for the patient and others who are in the room during treatment. Instead, HIFU uses focused beams of sound waves to deliver therapy for different cancers located in the body and has minimal side effects. These include minimal to no scarring, mild pain in the treated area, and slight discomfort after treatment. Although clinical trials are still being performed on the side effects and efficacy of HIFU, the results look promising.