Ex-vivo study of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) on tissue
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ex-vivo study of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) on human tissue
IRAS ID
248845
Contact name
Jamie Murphy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 5 days
Research summary
Incidence of all cancers combined is increasing annually, with over 360,000 new diagnosis made in the UK. Whilst cancer accounts for 28 percent of all-cause mortality within the UK, overall survival for people with cancer has doubled in the last 40 years. Surgery to remove the cancer remains the first option for treating cancer in most instances, but it can be associated with significant morbidity and deterioration in quality of life. This has resulted in the drive for additional options for both primary treatment and as adjunct therapy. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are currently the mainstays of adjunct therapy, but the utility and effectiveness vary between cancer types. They are associated with significant morbidity and adverse effects on quality of life, whilst the overall survival benefit is unclear in many types of cancer. As a result, there is an increased focus on the function and quality of life of those patients surviving their cancer treatments. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a method of accurately delivering ablative ultrasound (US) generated high temperatures non−invasively to specific areas in the body using image (ultrasound or MR) guidance. It is currently used for prostate cancer; and there is also evidence it may be effective in treating recurrent prostate cancer. Short and medium-term data demonstrate that HIFU may be equivalent to some current prostate cancer therapies but with reduced morbidity. Despite the success and promise of HIFU as a treatment for prostate cancer, it is not widely used for other cancer types. To explore the possibility of new treatment targets we need to understand the impact of HIFU on surrounding tissues and organs. To accomplish this, we will perform a laboratory study on tissue samples to look at the effect of HIFU on the target tissue and surrounding structures.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0321
Date of REC Opinion
9 Aug 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion