High intensity focused ultrasound treatment for patients with local advanced pancreatic cancer.

Background/aims: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy in patients with local advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methodology: 39 patients with local advanced pancreatic cancer were treated with HIFU, including 26 male and 13 female patients. The locations of the tumours were as follows: head of pancreas in 7 patients, body and/or tail of pancreas in 32 patients. Pain relief, time to progression (TTP), median survival and complications were analysed after HIFU treatment.

Results: There were no severe complications or adverse events related to HIFU therapy in any of the patients treated. Pain relief was achieved in 79.5% of patients. Median TTP was 5.0 months. The median overall survival time was 11 months. 6-month and 1-year survival rate for patients were 82.1% and 30.8% respectively.

Conclusions: Although this study may have limitations, preliminary results demonstrate the safetyof clinical application of HIFU for pancreatic cancer and reveal it to be a promising mode of treatment for local advanced pancreatic cancers.