Ultrasound is typically associated with scans during pregnancy or examinations of organs.
According to Hackaday, recent medical developments show that the technology can also be used directly for treatment.
This marks a shift toward methods that can operate inside the body without surgery.
At the same time, the need for gentler treatments is evident.
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Cancer arises from uncontrolled cell growth, and the goal is to remove diseased cells without harming the rest of the body.
Hackaday describes how traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation often affect a broad area and can cause severe side effects.
Ultrasound as a treatment
Therapeutic ultrasound uses powerful sound waves to affect tissue with precision.
The technology is already used to break down kidney stones and fatty tissue, among other things.
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The same principle can be applied to target cancer cells without making incisions in the body.
According to IEEE Spectrum, there are companies developing equipment that makes this type of treatment feasible in practice.
A targeted method
One of the methods described is called histotripsy. It uses focused ultrasound to destroy tissue in a highly localized way.
Hackaday reports that the method is already being used for certain liver tumors, after which the body itself removes the destroyed tissue.
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The method is part of a broader field within therapeutic ultrasound, where several applications are still being investigated.
What does this mean going forward?
According to Hackaday, the hope is that similar techniques can be used against other solid tumors.
Together with new treatment forms such as CAR T-cell immunotherapy, the development points toward more precise and less burdensome cancer treatment.
Sources: Hackaday, and IEEE Spectrum.
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