For the removal of superficial and nodular basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), laser ablation provides certain advantages relative to other treatment modalities. However, efficacy and reliability tend to be variable because tissue is vaporized such that none is available for subsequent histopathological examination for residual BCC (and to confirm complete removal of tumor). Intra-operative reflectan...

The field of focal ablative therapy for the treatment of cancer is characterized by abundance of thermal ablative techniques that provide a minimally invasive treatment option in selected tumors. However, the unselective destruction inflicted by thermal ablation modalities can result in damage to vital structures in the vicinity of the tumor. Furthermore, the efficacy of thermal ablation intens...

BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) represent a therapeutically challenging and heterogeneous group of malignancies occurring throughout the body, but mainly in the gastrointestinal system. PURPOSE To describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided laser ablation of NET liver metastases and assess its role within the current treatment options and methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two patien...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignant disease and the third leading cause of cancer- associated deaths worldwide, and is characterized by a dismal prognosis. Despite the significant improvements achieved in liver transplantation, surgical resection, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and local ablative therapies such as percutaneous ethanol injection (PE...

Our research has identified several examples in which reduced VEGF-A binding to deficient vascular extracellular matrix leads to deficits in tumor vascularization and tumor growth: (1) germline ablation of collagen VI in the stroma of intracranial B16F10 melanomas; (2) knockdown of the Tks5 scaffolding protein in MDA-MB-231 mammary tumor cells; (3) germline ablation of NG2 proteoglycan in the s...

The liver is a common site for both primary and secondary malignancy. Hepatic resection and transplantation are the two treatment modalities that have been shown to achieve complete cure, but only 10 to 20% of patients are candidates for these treatments. For the remaining patients, tumor ablation has emerged as the most promising alternative modality. In addition to providing local control and...

PURPOSE The efficacy of immunotherapy against advanced cancer may be improved by combination strategies. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a local tumor ablation method based on localized activation of a photosensitizer, leading to oxygen radical-induced tumor cell death. PDT can enhance antitumor immune responses by release of antigen and danger signals, supporting combination protocols of PDT wit...

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a promising cell membrane ablative modality for pancreatic cancer. There have been recent concerns regarding local recurrence and the potential use of IRE as a debulking (partial ablation) modality. We hypothesize that incomplete ablation leads to early recurrence and a more aggressive biology. We created the first ever heterotopic murine model by inoculati...

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel image-guided ablation technique that is increasingly used to treat locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC). We describe a 67-year-old male patient with a 5cm stage III pancreatic tumor who was referred for IRE. Because the ventral approach for electrode placement was considered dangerous due to vicinity of the tumor to collateral vessels and du...

Preforming a tumor ablation procedure involves precisely positioning an ablation probe in a tumor. Limited sensing accuracy and variations in tissue properties require that surgeons often identify when they have correctly positioned the probe through their sense of touch. In this paper, supervised learning is used to detect the point at which a needle has entered a tumor using a combination of ...