The focused shockwave therapy uses focused ultrasound waves to break up and destroy the tumor.
The focused shockwave therapy uses focused ultrasound waves to break up and destroy the tumor.
Ultrasound therapy has been studied for more than half a century. Ultrasound can act on tissue through several mechanisms, including thermal, shock wave, and cavitation mechanisms, which elicit different responses. Ultrasound therapy can be a noninvasive or minimally invasive treatment option, and ultrasound technology has advanced enough that devices can be developed to study a wide range of applications. This review focuses on the clinical use of therapeutic ultrasound outside of cancer, with an emphasis on treatments that have recently entered clinical trials and preclinical research programs that have great potential for patient care [1].
Dr. Zhen Xu (above), a biomedical engineer at the University of Michigan, studies the effects of using sound to partially destroy tumors. The procedure has been compared to shock wave therapy and is known as histotomy. (Photo: University of Michigan)[2].
Focused shockwave therapy is an effective treatment for many types of cancer.
Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (fESWT) has been shown to be effective in a large number of musculoskeletal disorders. Until 2016, cancer was considered a contraindication for fESWT. The goal of this Commentary is to address the subject of fESWT in cancer patients and present a case of a successful application of fESWT in a breast cancer patient with metastatic bone disease, suffering from debilitating heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis[3].
Shockwave therapy uses very high pressure and short pulses to deliver a shockwave at the target. Shockwave therapy is well established for dissolution of stones and is also widely used in physiotherapy.A shock produces a high stress on the tissue at the focus and generates inertial cavitation [12[1].
Focused shockwave therapy is a safe and effective option for treating many types of cancer.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been widely used as an alternative treatment option for PF for decades due to its noninvasive nature, fast recovery time, and convenience for daily life of patients. [5 The specific mechanisms of ESWT in treating musculoskeletal pain remain unclear; however, multiple studies have shown that it can destroy sensory unmyelinated nerve fibers, and stimulate neovascularization and collagen synthesis in degenerative tissues. Recently, both focused shock wave (FSW) and radial shock wave (RSW) therapies were introduced as treatment options for PF. RSW dispersed from the applicator does not concentrate on the tissue compared with FSW. Several studies have demonstrated the function of ESWT in relieving heel pain. However, there were positive and negative results. Furthermore, some previous meta-analyses compared ESWT and sham or other therapeutic methods, without distinguishing which ESWT type is effective. It is uncertain whether general ESWT, including FSW and RSW therapies, is effective in relieving plantar heel pain. Such debate may be further acknowledged by our meta-analysis combined with previous analysis, aiming at providing useful information on efficacy of ESWT for the treatment of chronic PF[4].
Therefore, fESWT can be seen as a modern, non-invasive treatment by application of shockwaves to injured tissue with the intention to reduce pain and to promote regeneration and healing processes. fESWT has been shown to be time-efficient and cost-efficient and, up today, is allowed to be applied only by qualified physicians. fESWT has many interesting indications, which are also located in the interdisciplinary field of PM&R[5].
