Study of Pulse Laser-Induced Plasma Ablation for Cancer Tissue by Non-Thermal Processing

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12117
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90130:Medical systems-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Science
• Principal Investigator: Takemura Hiroshi 東京理科大学, 理工学部機械工学科, 教授 (60408713)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 非加熱焼灼 / 穿刺治療 / 低侵襲治療システム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A puncture treatment is a treatment without laparotomy and resection by using a needle. While Radio-Frequency Ablation (RFA) is a radical cure treatment with low invasiveness, the treatment score of RFA is equivalent to that of partial hepatectomy. However, RFA has problems to operate near the blood vessel because RFA affected by a cooling effect of the blood flow. The laser-induced plasma ablation using pulsed lasers that have higher power densities solve the problem since vaporization by plasma is not due to heat. In this study, the pulse laser-induced plasma ablation for cancer tissue by non-thermal processing are proposed and the seven degree of freedom arm for introducing a pulsed laser was developed in order to control the ablation area in an arbitrary shape. The experimental results demonstrated the developed device ablates for cancer tissue by non-thermal processing.

Free Research Field

生体機械学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでの穿刺治療では主に熱により焼灼を行っていたために，正確に範囲を制御することができなかった．本研究成果により，腫瘍近傍に重要な温存すべき血管などがある部位や解剖学的制約によりラジオ波焼灼ができなかった部位の腫瘍にも治療を実施することが可能となり，将来的には既存の外科的摘出手術を低侵襲で安全な穿刺治療に代替することが可能となり，多くのがん患者にとって大きな福音となることが期待される．