Effects of high‐intensity focused ultrasound and anti‐angiogenic agents on the ablation of experimental liver cancers

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) when combined with heparin and cortisone acetate in treating experimental liver cancer LTNM4 implanted subcutaneously in nude mice. METHODS: High-intensity focused ultrasound treatment was administered with a focused 1.1 MHz transducer at a peak intensity of 750 W/cm2 for a continuous exposure of 20 s and, 1 day later, heparin (300 U/mL) was given orally in drinking water and an initial dose of 250 mg/kg cortisone acetate was injected subcutaneously into each mouse. Forty-eight mice with tumors were randomly divided into four groups. Group I (n = 12) were controls; Group II (n = 12) received heparin and cortisone therapy; Group III (n = 12) received HIFU therapy only; Group IV (n = 12) received both HIFU, heparin and cortisone therapy. RESULTS: Significant inhibition of tumor growth was seen in groups II, III and IV as compared with group I (P < 0.05), with the tumor growth inhibition rate on the 28th day being 86, 90 and 99%, respectively. All mice in group IV were cured, with no evidence of tumors by the 35th day and, histologically, no tumor cells remained. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that HIFU can destroy liver cancer effectively and that HIFU combined with treatment using the anti-angiogenic agents heparin and cortisone may constitute a comprehensive treatment to ablate liver cancer.