Sound waves may help deliver cancer drugs to the brain
NCT ID NCT03714243
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether a device that uses focused ultrasound can safely and temporarily open the blood-brain barrier in people with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to the brain. Eight participants received the procedure, and researchers checked for side effects and whether the barrier actually opened. The goal was to see if this approach is safe enough to explore further for delivering cancer treatments directly to brain tumors.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ExAblate focused ultrasound device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to deliver treatments directly to brain tumors without surgery or radiation.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small early study (8 people) focused only on safety and feasibility. It does not prove the treatment works against cancer.
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
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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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8 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2019
- Finished
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Apr 2022
- 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 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- 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: * Men and women between 18 and 80 years of age * Able and willing to give informed consent * Metastatic Her2-positive breast cancer with brain metastases * Karnofsky performance score 70-100 * ASA score 1-3 * Able to communicate sensations during the ExAblate BBBD procedure * Able to attend all study visits (i.e., life expectancy of at least 3 months) * At least 14 days passed since last brain surgery * At least 6 weeks passed since last radiation treatment Exclusion Criteria: * Brain metastases not visible on the pre-therapy imaging * The sonication pathway to the tumour involves: i. Extensive scalp scars ii. Clips or other metallic implanted objects in the skull or the brain, except shunts * The subject presents with symptoms and signs of increased intracranial pressure (e.g., headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and papilledema) * Cardiac disease or unstable hemodynamics including: i. Documented myocardial infarction within six months of enrolment ii. Unstable angina on medication iii. Congestive heart failure iv. Left ventricular ejection fraction \< 50% v. Right-to-left, bidirectional, or transient right-to-left cardiac shunts vi. History of a hemodynamically unstable cardiac arrythmia vii. Cardiac pacemaker viii. Contraindications to perflutren including subjects with a family or personal history of QT prolongation or taking concomitant medications known to cause QTc prolongation * Severe hypertension (diastolic BP \> 100 on medication) * Anti-coagulant therapy or medications known to increase risk of hemorrhage within washout period prior to treatment (i.e. antiplatelet or vitamin K inhibitor anticoagulants within 7 days, non-vitamin K inhibitor anticoagulants within 72 hours, or heparin-derived compounds within 48 hours of treatment) * History of a bleeding disorder, coagulopathy or with a history of spontaneous tumour hemorrhage * Abnormal level of platelets (\< 100000) or INR \> 1.3 * Documented cerebral infarction within the past 12 months * Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) in the last 1 month * Known allergy sensitivity or contraindications to gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA), CT contrast, or perflutren or trastuzumab * Allergy to eggs or egg products * Contraindications to MRI such as non-MRI-compatible implanted devices * Large subjects not fitting comfortably into the MRI scanner (generally \>250 lbs) * Difficulty lying supine and still for up to 4 hours in the MRI unit or claustrophobia * Untreated, uncontrolled sleep apnea * Positive pregnancy test (for pre-menopausal women) * Known life-threatening systemic disease * Severely impaired renal function * Respiratory: chronic pulmonary disorders, e.g. severe emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary vasculitis, or other causes of reduced pulmonary vascular cross-sectional area, subjects with a history of drug allergies * Any illness or medical condition that in the investigator's opinion precludes participation in this study
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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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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
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