Summary
This study aimed to investigate the use of sonoporation in a clinical setting with commercially available technology to improve the quality of life and overall survival of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Patients were treated using a customized configuration of a clinical ultrasound scanner after standard chemotherapy with gemcitabine. SonoVue ultrasound contrast agent was administered intravascularly to induce sonoporation.
The results showed that patients treated with this approach could undergo an increased number of treatment cycles, averaging 16 cycles compared to an average of 9 cycles in a historical control group of 80 patients. In two out of five patients, the maximum tumor diameter was temporarily reduced to 80% and permanently to 70% of its original size, while other patients showed reduced tumor growth. The study also details the settings and acoustic output obtained from the commercial clinical scanner used for ultrasound microbubble and chemotherapy treatment.
In conclusion, the study demonstrates that it is feasible to combine ultrasound, microbubbles, and chemotherapy in a clinical setting using commercially available clinical ultrasound scanners. This approach has the potential to increase the number of treatment cycles and extend the quality of life for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma compared to chemotherapy alone.
