What if a surgical treatment for cancer could be performed without a scalpel? What if it required little to no downtime or side effects? What if it was finished in less than an hour? And what if these questions could be answered, specifically, for a cancer as difficult to treat as glioblastoma?
For decades, glioblastoma has been a death sentence despite researchers’ best efforts. However, as a national leader in cancer research and treatment, new research at UVA Health could finally lead us to better outcomes for these patients.
UVA Health neurosurgeon Shayan Moosa, MD, is leading this ambitious effort. In a groundbreaking phase 1 clinical trial, Moosa and his team will assess the impact of sonodynamic therapy — a combination of focused ultrasound and a targeted drug — to treat patients with recurrent glioblastoma.
Focused ultrasound technology, pioneered at UVA Health, was a game changer for treating essential tremor and other neurological conditions. Now, it could help treat glioblastoma.
“We hope this gives a new option to patients with brain tumors,” says Moosa. “Glioblastoma and other aggressive cancers will inevitably recur, and sonodynamic therapy can supplement our current treatment regimen to potentially provide a longer interval before disease progression, as well as to treat recurrent tumors in a noninvasive fashion.”
Excerpted from: https://www.uvaphysicianresource.com/sonodynamic-therapy-glioblastoma
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