Endometrial Tumors

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Focused Ultrasound Therapy

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with endometrial tumors. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) enabling endometrial tumors to be treated without surgery.

Advantages
The primary options for treatment of endometrial cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted treatments and combinations.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to surgery with less risk of complications – such as surgical wound healing or infection – at a lower cost. Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue, and enhance chemotherapy dose for the target, with less impact to the rest of the patient. It can also be repeated, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

A clinical trial in multiple locations in France is using focused ultrasound to treat patients with rectal endometriosis.  

clinical trial in London, UK, is investigating the use of focused ultrasound with a variety of metastatic lesions to the pelvis, including endometrial tumors.

See a full list of endometrial cancer clinical trials >

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for endometrial cancer is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Yang Q, Zhang X. Efficacy and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for rectus abdominis endometriosis: a 7-year follow-up clinical study. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2023 Mar 1;13(3):1417-1425. doi: 10.21037/qims-22-695. Epub 2023 Jan 29.

Wang Q, Wu X, Zhu X, Wang J, Xu F, Lin Z, Gong C, He M, Zhang L. MRI features and clinical outcomes of unexpected uterine sarcomas in patients who underwent high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for presumed uterine fibroids. Int J Hyperthermia. 2021 Sep;38(2):39-45. doi: 10.1080/02656736.2021.1921288.

Wang S, Li BH, Wang JJ, Guo YS, Cheng JM, Ye H, Zang CY, Zhang Y, Duan H, Zhang XY. The safety of echo contrast-enhanced ultrasound in high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for abdominal wall endometriosis: a retrospective study. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2021 May;11(5):1751-1762. doi: 10.21037/qims-20-622.

Hu S, Liu Y, Chen R, Xiao Z. Exploring the Diagnostic Performance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Ultrasound-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Abdominal Wall Endometriosis. Front Physiol. 2022 Feb 15;13:819259. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.819259. eCollection 2022.

Imseeh G, Giles SL, Taylor A, Brown MRD, Rivens I, Gordon-Williams R, Ter Haar G, deSouza NM. Feasibility of palliating recurrent gynecological tumors with MRGHIFU: comparison of symptom, quality-of-life, and imaging response in intra and extra-pelvic disease. Int J Hyperthermia. 2021;38(1):623-632. doi: 10.1080/02656736.2021.1904154.

Guan L, Xu G. Destructive effect of HIFU on rabbit embedded endometrial carcinoma tissues and their vascularities. Oncotarget. 2017 Mar 21;8(12):19577-19591. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.14751.

Sri T, Steren AJ, Stratton P. Endometrial Cancer: Hidden Pathology in a Patient with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and Known Leiomyoma. Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2015;80(4):272-5. doi: 10.1159/000370002.

Agdi M, Tulandi T. Minimally invasive approach for myomectomy. Semin Reprod Med. 2010 May;28(3):228-34. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1251479. Review.

Click here for additional references from PubMed.

Clinical Trials