news.scotsman.comlatest.cfmOpen ↗ An invisible knife that uses high-intensity
sound waves to penetrate the body and destroy tumours is set to revolutionise cancer treatment,
it is claimed.
In five to 10 years ultrasound could replace conventional surgery and radiotherapy for patients with
many different types of cancer, scientists said.
The technique is undergoing early trials for liver and kidney cancer in the UK while a French
team using a different system has already achieved disease-free results treating men with
prostate cancer.
In China, where the technology has been pioneered, anecdotal evidence from studies of thousands of
patients is said to be "astounding".
Ultrasound surgery focuses bursts of high energy sound waves on the tumour, heating it to a
temperature of 60C. The tumour cells are destroyed while surrounding tissue is left unharmed.
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