Ablation Technologies in Liver Cancer

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Radio frequency ablation (RFA), with limitations, has shown to be effective and has increasingly become the standard of care for non-resectable liver disease. Radiofrequency ablation devices work by sending alternating current through the tissue. This creates increased intracellular temperatures and localized interstitial heat. When temperatures exceed 60°C, cell proteins rapidly denature and coagulate, killing the cells and producing a lesion. The lesion can be used to resect and remove the tissue or to simply destroy the tissue, leaving the ablated tissue in place.

Radio frequency ablation (RFA), with limitations, has shown to be effective and has increasingly become the standard of care for non-resectable liver disease. Radiofrequency ablation devices work by sending alternating current through the tissue. This creates increased intracellular temperatures and localized interstitial heat. When temperatures exceed 60°C, cell proteins rapidly denature and coagulate, killing the cells and producing a lesion. The lesion can be used to resect and remove the tissue or to simply destroy the tissue, leaving the ablated tissue in place.

Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) and microwave have also been utilized for the ablation of HCC tumors, although these two treatments do not seem to work as well on large tumors as other treatments. Interstitial laser photocoagulation uses a thin optical fiber (which is inserted into the center of the tumor) and a laser. When the laser light is emitted, the cancerous cells undergo thermal necrosis. Interstitial microwave kills the tumor cells by heating them to a high temperature (50 degrees C) for an extended period of time.

Minimally invasive irreversible electroporation is another treatment for HCC tumors. Electroporation increases the permeability of the cell membrane by exposing the cell to electric pulses. Irreversible electroporation opens the cell membrane in such a way that the cell cannot reverse the process and close the membrane. This open membrane causes the cell’s death. Irreversible electroporation is felt by some researchers to be comparable to cryosurgery, nonselective chemical ablation and high temperature thermal ablation.


From “Ablation Technologies Worldwide Market, 2009-2019: Products, Technologies, Markets, Companies and Opportunities”, Report #A145; MedMarket Diligence, LLC

     

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I serve the interests of medical technology company decision-makers, venture-capitalists, and others with interests in medtech producing worldwide analyses of medical technology markets for my audience of mostly medical technology companies (but also rapidly growing audience of biotech, VC, and other healthcare decision-makers). I have a small staff and go to my industry insiders (or find new ones as needed) to produce detailed, reality-grounded analyses of current and potential markets and opportunities. I am principally interested in those core clinical applications served by medical devices, which are expanding to include biomaterials, drug-device hybrids and other non-device technologies either competing head-on with devices or being integrated with devices in product development. The effort and pain of making every analysis global in scope is rewarded by my audience's loyalty, since in the vast majority of cases they too have global scope in their businesses. Specialties: Business analysis through syndicated reports, and select custom engagements, on medical technology applications and markets in general/abdominal/thoracic surgery, interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, patient monitoring/management, wound management, cell therapy, tissue engineering, gene therapy, nanotechnology, and others.
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