Can sound waves destroy breast tumors without a scalpel?
NCT ID NCT02794558
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.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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91 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2005
- Finished
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Mar 2019
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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
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Breastopia Miyazaki Hospital
Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 8800052, Japan
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