Can sound waves destroy breast tumors without a scalpel?

NCT ID NCT02794558

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 08, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether MR-guided focused ultrasound can safely and effectively treat early breast cancer. The procedure uses MRI images to target and heat tumors with ultrasound waves, destroying them without surgery. Participants are women with a single small breast tumor that has not spread to lymph nodes. The study tracks side effects and checks for cancer recurrence over five years.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
MR-guided focused ultrasound (ExAblate MRgFUS), a device that uses ultrasound waves to heat and destroy breast tumors without incisions
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a noninvasive alternative to surgery for small, early-stage breast tumors, potentially reducing recovery time and scarring.
What could go wrong
The trial is early and small, and it is unclear whether the ultrasound completely destroys all cancer cells or prevents recurrence over five years. Risks include incomplete treatment or damage to nearby tissue.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

91 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2005

Finished

Mar 2019

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Women age ≥ 18 years with - breast cancer proven by 14-20 G. core needle biopsy of the breast lesion. * No evidence of cancer at the sentinel/ Axillary node * Women in whom breast MR imaging identifies a single focal well-demarcated breast lesion less than or equal to 1.5 cm in diameter with stage T1, N0, M0 disease. * Patient received neoadjuvant care for 4 weeks such as: Hormone replacement therapy or Tamoxifen is permissible where the tumor is less than or equal to 1.5 before neoadjuvant therapy * Able and willing to give consent and able to attend all study visits. * Able to communicate sensations during the MRgFUS procedure. * Life expectancy of 5 years or more. Exclusion Criteria: * Breast cancer which was diagnosed by incisional / excisional biopsy * Contraindication to MRI (non-MRI compatible implanted metal devices). * Pregnant or lactating post partum women. * Prior XRT or laser or cryo-therapy to the target breast. * Difficulty lying prone and still for up to 210 minutes in the MR unit, e.g., COPD, heart disease, lung disease, sleep apnea or airway problems, severe asthma, severe arthritis, severe claustrophobia. * Patients with unstable cardiac status including: * Unstable angina pectoris on medication. * Patients with documented myocardial infarction within six months of protocol entry. * Congestive heart failure requiring medication. * Patients on anti-arrhythmic drugs. * Severe hypertension (diastolic BP \> 100 on medication). * Patients with cardiac pacemakers. * Immunosuppressed patients, e.g., patients receiving steroids or other immunosuppressive medication, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, collagen vascular disease. * Patients receiving chemotherapy * Patients with history of grand mal seizures, severe cerebrovascular disease (multiple CVA or CVA within 6 months), hemolytic anemia (hematocrit \< 30), or patients on dialysis. * Patients currently receiving anticoagulation therapy. * Large patients who cannot fit comfortably in the magnet, or patients \> 100Kg. * Lesions difficult to target (\<1 cm from skin, nipple-areola complex or the ribcage), as visualized on pre-therapy MRI. * Microcalcifications as the only sign of breast cancer on imaging studies. * Patients with breast implants. * Prior reaction to gadolinium-based contrast agent * Prior radiation to the breast, which is about to be treated. * Evidence of tumor at any location other then the targeted lesion. * Histological type of invasive micropapillary carcinoma because of cancer displacement by the needle * Mucinous carcinoma which was diagnosed by core needle biopsy because of needle cancer displacement

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Breastopia Miyazaki Hospital

    Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 8800052, Japan

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