Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with cancer of the head and neck. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How it Works<\/strong> One mechanism is precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue), enabling cancer to be treated without surgery. This destruction can be done to completely destroy the target or to partially treat it. Partial treatment is believed to stimulate the patient\u2019s immune response, which may have a broader impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A second mechanism is to pre-treat the cancer with pulsed focused ultrasound which may enable improved therapeutic absorption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another mechanism is the use of focused ultrasound to produce local hyperthermia, which may improve the effectiveness of radiation treatment and chemotherapy absorption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advantages<\/strong> For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications \u2013 such as surgical wound healing or infection \u2013 at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary. Focused ultrasound also enables an enhanced chemotherapy dose for the target, with less impact to the rest of the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clinical trial<\/strong><\/a> for patients who have cancer of the head or neck is underway at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. This study is only open to Canadian residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\u202f\u00a0clinical trial<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is recruiting patients with refractory pain from head and neck cancer at the University of Virginia.\u202f Search for a treatment center or clinical trial near you.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Focused ultrasound treatment for head and neck cancer is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elias WJ, Liu CC, Nwafor D, Finan PH, Quigg M, Moosa S. Stereotactic Focused Ultrasound Mesencephalotomy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer Pain<\/strong><\/a>. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2025 Jul 25. doi: 10.1159\/000547639. PMID: 40716439 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moore-Palhares D, Saifuddin M, Dasgupta A, Anzola Pena ML, Prasla S, Ho L, Lu L, Kung J, Karam I, Poon I, Bayley A, McNabb E, Stanisz G, Kolios M, Czarnota GJ. Radiation enhancement using focussed ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles for head and neck cancer: A phase 1 clinical trial<\/strong><\/a>. Radiother Oncol. 2024 Jun 13;198:110380. doi: 10.1016\/j.radonc.2024.110380. PMID: 38879128 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yura Y, Fujita Y, Hamada M. Ultrasound Combination to Improve the Efficacy of Current Boron Neutron Capture Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer<\/a><\/strong>. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Aug 5;16(15):2770. doi: 10.3390\/cancers16152770. PMID: 39123497 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yang D, Chen Q, Zhang M, Feng G, Sun D, Lin L, Jing X. Drug-Loaded Acoustic Nanodroplet for Dual-Imaging Guided Highly Efficient Chemotherapy Against Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma<\/a><\/strong>. Int J Nanomedicine. 2022 Oct 18;17:4879-4894. doi: 10.2147\/IJN.S377514. eCollection 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mohammadabadi A, Huynh RN, Wadajkar AS, Lapidus RG, Kim AJ, Raub CB, Frenkel V. Pulsed focused ultrasound lowers interstitial fluid pressure and increases nanoparticle delivery and penetration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenograft tumors<\/strong><\/a>. Phys Med Biol. 2020 Jun 22;65(12):125017. doi: 10.1088\/1361-6560\/ab9705.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee J, Farha G, Poon I, Karam I, Higgins K, Pichardo S, Hynynen K, Enepekides D. Magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound combined with radiotherapy for palliation of head and neck cancer-a pilot study<\/strong><\/a>. J Ther Ultrasound. 2016 Apr 2;4:12. doi: 10.1186\/s40349-016-0055-x.
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces several therapeutic effects that are being evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary option for treatment of cancer of the head and neck is invasive surgery, although radiation, chemotherapy or other pharmaceuticals may also be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClinical Trials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here<\/strong><\/a>, it will take you to the latest information available from https:\/\/www.clinicaltrials.gov\/<\/strong><\/a>.
See here for a list of treatment sites<\/a>
See here for a list of clinical trials sites<\/a>
See here for a list of laboratory research sites<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFind a Treatment Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Notable Papers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pichardo S, K\u00f6hler M, Lee J, Hynynen K. In vivo optimisation study for multi-baseline MR-based thermometry in the context of hyperthermia using MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound for head and neck applications<\/strong><\/a>. Int J Hyperthermia. 2014 Dec;30(8):579-92. doi: 10.3109\/02656736.2014.981299.
Wu CY, Chan PC, Chou LS, Chang CW, Yang FY, Liu RS, Chiou SH, Chen YW, Yen SH, Wang HE. Pulsed-focused ultrasound enhances boron drug accumulation in a human head and neckcancer xenograft-bearing mouse model<\/strong><\/a>. Mol Imaging Biol. 2014 Feb;16(1):95-101. doi: 10.1007\/s11307-013-0675-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n