Summary
The authors of this paper reviewed the clinical trials of extracorporeal ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for cancer treatment. They found that the efficacy of HIFU was similar to that of other cancer treatments, such as radio frequency, chemoembolization, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy.
However, they also found that HIFU was not a standardized procedure and that the intensity and insonation mode were modified constantly throughout the treatment. This made it difficult to evaluate the efficacy of HIFU from the perspective of ultrasonics.
The authors concluded that HIFU should be applied as an alternative on most occasions. They also called for more research on HIFU, to better understand its potential benefits and risks.
