Advertisement
Li Ka-shing-backed focused ultrasound therapy reaches ‘tipping point’ with 1 million cases
The therapy, which uses ultrasound energy to treat a number of diseases including cancer, is gaining global traction, a US expert says
2-MIN READ2-MIN
1
Listen
Focused ultrasound (FUS) therapy, a sound wave treatment technology that counts Hong Kong’s tycoon Li Ka-shing among its backers, has reached an “inflection” point after 1 million patients worldwide adopted it as an alternative to surgery, radiation, drugs and other therapies, said the doctor who pioneered its use.
One million patients had undergone FUS therapy since the technology was introduced six decades ago, including around 175,000 cases that involved liver tumours, according to data compiled by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“In the past two years, we finally achieved a critical mass and reached the inflection point of this adoption phase,” said the foundation’s chairman Neal Kassell, the former co-chair of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. “FUS treatment improves medical outcomes, decreases cost of care and improves patient access [by] doing more with less.”
The increasing adoption is accompanied by wider application, where the number of diseases being treated or under research has risen to more than 200 from three over the past decade, the foundation said. The number of companies making the devices for FUS has surged to 77 from five, 34 of them based in North America, 22 in Asia and 16 in Europe.
Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice