Focused Ultrasound Therapy Shows Potential in the Noninvasive Treatment of Thyroid Nodules and Breast Fibroadenomas

A French medical company has reported very positive initial clinical findings from a new study on the treatment of thyroid nodules, demonstrating the effectiveness of its Echopulse device in the treatment of this disorder.

Trials for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules with echotherapy were conducted on 20 patients at the University Hospital of Endocrinology (Sofia, Bulgaria). The treatment reduced the size of the nodules in all patients. The reduction in size at the six-month mark was a median of 52%. These findings showed the effectiveness and excellent tolerance of ultrasound therapy for this disorder and were presented at the second edition of the Focused Ultrasound Symposium, held in Rome (Italy), on October 10 and 11, 2013. Theraclion (Malakoff, France), a company specializing in advanced medical equipment for ultrasound therapy, also known as echotherapy, is the developer of the Echopulse device.

A thyroid nodule is a protuberance that develops on the thyroid gland and is typically benign. Surgical intervention is the conventional treatment when a nodule is suspect, malignant, or benign but increases in size or causes physical discomfort for the patient. “These results with echotherapy are very encouraging. The significant reduction in nodule size at the end of six months, with a 94% reduction in some cases, demonstrates that the Echopulse can offer an alternative therapy that is less burdensome to the patient,” said Prof. Roussanka Kovatcheva, from the University Hospital of Endocrinology.

Moreover, new results from trials conducted in the treatment of breast fibroadenoma also confirm the effectiveness of the technology. This benign tumor is the most widespread (10% of women will develop it in the course of their lives) and accounts for more than half of benign breast tumors. These trials were performed on 42 patients in France, at the American Hospital of Paris, the Hospital of Valenciennes, and the University Hospital of Lille, and in Bulgaria, at the University Hospital of Endocrinology in Sofia. Treatment of 51 fibroadenomas treated with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) led to a 71% average reduction in tumor volume one year after the procedure. Also at the 12-month mark, 92% of patients showed a volume reduction of more than 60% and resolution of symptoms. The treatment reduced the size of fibroadenomas in all patients.

“We are very pleased with these encouraging primary results on thyroid nodules and the confirmation of the efficacy of Echopulse in the treatment of breast fibroadenoma. Our technology enables patricians to offer an effective, noninvasive, and scarless alternative to their patients,” said Stefano Vagliani, CEO of Theraclion.

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