A novel non-invasive system for cancer treatment is being developed with technology from the European space industry. The first target for this new treatment, which could be ready as early as 2006, is breast cancer.

Dutch entrepreneur Hugo Brunsveld van Hulten has come up with a solution to help physicians in their fight against breast cancer that combines two techniques: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to locate and diagnose cancerous tissue, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to 'burn' malignant cells.

This invention, named ActiveFU, is being developed by Brunsveld van Hulten at the new European Space Incubator (ESI) facility at ESTEC, ESA's European Space Research and Test Centre in the Netherlands. By using space technologies and expertise from ESA's space research teams, several challenges have already been overcome.

"HIFU is a proven intervention technique for the ablation of cancer cells in the human body," explains Brunsveld van Hulten. "This technique combined with the recent advances in MRI capabilities that can provide a proper real-time view of the area during treatment, will give the ActiveFU operator highly-sophisticated control of the hyper-thermal tumor-targeting procedure".

This innovative system will offer cancer patients a new non-invasive treatment option that is more patient-friendly and without the negative side effects associated with chemo and radiation therapies.

"Benefits will also include savings to the public health care sector because it is an outpatient treatment," adds Brunsveld van Hulten.

SOURCE:
European Space Agency (http://www.esa.int)