Ultrasound Guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for malignant tumors: The Spanish experience of survival advantage in stage III and IV pancreatic cancer

• Published in: Ultrasonics sonochemistry 2015-11, Vol.27, p.703-706
• Main Authors: Vidal-Jove, Joan, Perich, Eloi, del Castillo, Manuel Alvarez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cancer; Chemotherapy; HIFU; High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Pancreatic Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 1350-4177; 1873-2828
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2015.05.026

•Ultrasound-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) ablation for advanced pancreatic cancer.•Focusing on results of unresectable pancreatic tumors.•140 pancreatic tumors received treatment of which 48 cases were unresectable cases.•HIFU is a potentially effective and safe.•HIFU proves to have a survival advantage in treating unresectable pancreatic cancer. We described the experience of the HIFU Onco Unit of Hospital University Mutua Terrassa (Barcelona, Spain) treating malignant tumors, focusing on results of unresectable pancreatic tumors treated with Ultrasound Guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (USgHIFU) hyperthermia ablation in combination with adjuvant chemotherapy. From February 2008 to December 2013, we treated 140 malignant cases. Of those, 48 cases of unresectable pancreatic tumors were treated from March 2010 to December 2013, and the first 43 were included in the analysis. All the 43 cases (29 cases of stage III and 14 cases of stage IV) were treated with systemic chemotherapy. Clinical responses (thermical ablation achieved) were measured by image techniques, and complications were also recorded and analyzed. The majority of the 140 cases treated at our HIFU center were pancreatic and liver tumors, among which 43 cases of pancreatic tumors were analyzed. Clinical responses (ablation obtained) were observed in 82% of the cases, and the responses lasted at 8weeks post-procedure. We obtained 11 complete responses (25%) at the end of the combined treatment, nine from stage III patients and two from stage IV patients. Major complications included severe pancreatitis with GI bleeding (1), and skin burning of grade III that required plastic surgery (2). The median survival was 13months (6months–2.7years). No deaths were registered during the course of the treatment. HIFU is a potentially effective and safe modality for the treatment of malignant tumors. HIFU proves to have a survival advantage in treating unresectable pancreatic cancer.