Internship M2 – Effects of Ultrasound in the Treatment of Pediatric Brain Tumors

Since the 1970s, ultrasound imaging techniques, particularly echography, have been routinely used in clinical practice as diagnostic tools. However, ultrasound also has therapeutic potential, some aspects of which remain to be explored. In the biomedical context, both in diagnosis and therapy, ultrasound has several advantages: it is non-invasive, non-irradiating, non-ionizing, inexpensive, and portable, which means it can be used at the patient’s bedside or in emergency vehicles. All these aspects, which are crucial for the well-being of patients, are particularly relevant for the care of pediatric patients. There are two types of therapeutic ultrasound: HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, 100-1000 W/cm²) and LIUS (Low Intensity UltraSound, <100 W/cm²), which can induce two types of effects: thermal effects and mechanical effects. Known for around twenty years, the therapeutic possibilities of HIFU for destroying tumors through hyperthermia have recently become a clinical reality for the treatment of adenoma, prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, liver or thyroid tumors, and even brain tumors.
The therapeutic effects of LIUS are also the subject of numerous research studies, particularly in the context of bone regeneration. Although their relevance in tumor treatment has been established in the literature, it remains underutilized because the understanding of the phenomena induced by LIUS in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains an open question.

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