Focused ultrasound could be the next big cancer breakthrough for hard-to-treat tumours

Precisely targeted sound waves could mark a major advance in treating pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma – an aggressive form of brain cancer – within a few years, according to a leading advocate of the technology. Researchers in Hong Kong and around the world are testing whether the approach can help treat tumours that are among the most challenging to manage.

“The next big breakthrough in the near future will be more effective treatments for … glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer,” said Dr Neal Kassell, founder and chairman of the US-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “We are very optimistic about that.”

He estimated that important advances from clinical trials involving the two hard-to-treat cancers could emerge in about three years, while Alzheimer’s disease represented another potentially significant application of the technology.

But Kassell acknowledged that clinical evidence for focused ultrasound remained limited for many diseases, despite its promise.