Focused Ultrasound as Targeted Therapy for Colorectal Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Traditional cancer treatments have not significantly improved the survival rates for individuals with colorectal cancer. As a result, there is a dire need to explore novel treatment modalities that can target cancer-specific niches, transform cold colorectal tumors into hot ones, and disrupt the tumor niche. Therapeutic focused ultrasound, recognized for its capacity to induce thermal and mechanical impacts on tissue, can potentially eliminate cancer cells and elicit the body’s anticancer reaction by disrupting the tumor microenvironment. This article provides an overview of recent developments in employing therapeutic focused ultrasound (TFUS) to enhance the body’s natural defenses against colorectal cancers. It also discusses studies examining the utility of TFUS in treating colorectal cancer patients and recent research indicating its potential to stimulate the body’s anticancer response in various in vitro and in vivo colorectal cancer models. Furthermore, it explores the therapeutic effects of TFUS on the immune system in colorectal cancers. This article also highlights the safety and effectiveness of TFUS in managing colorectal cancer, providing relief from pain, and potentially improving survival rates. Given the indications that TFUS may bolster the body’s immune response and augment the impacts of TFUS therapy in clinical and preclinical colorectal cancer models, it has the potential to emerge as a pivotal tool in clinical settings.

Keywords

• therapeutic focused ultrasound
• high-intensity focused ultrasound
• tumor microenvironment
• colorectal cancer