Ultrasound cancer treatment, supported by Li Ka-shing, gains traction in Asia: US expert

Focused ultrasound, a non-invasive medical treatment supported by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, is being recognised as a commercially attractive alternative to traditional therapies for many diseases including cancer, according to an expert.

As the number of treatments and clinical trials have increased in recent years, the developers of devices that generate high-intensity sound waves to target and ablate diseased tissues have attracted investments, according to Neal Kassell, founder and chairman of US-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

"The growth in the number of treatments, clinical trials and research sites, and the fact that equipment manufacturers are getting investments from strategic investors and major financial institutions, are indications that focused ultrasound is scaling up," the former co-chair of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia said.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

He cited US-based HistoSonics, a maker of focused ultrasound devices, which has caught the eye of investors. The Li Ka Shing Foundation donated a device made by HistoSonics to the University of Hong Kong for destroying liver tumours. The company, which completed a US$102 million series D financing round last month, counts a unit of healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson as one of its investors.

The Hong Kong billionaire's charity last month announced that it would donate two more machines to the city's hospitals, sponsor the treatment of 20 patients and support the training of six doctors and radiologists by HistoSonics.

"It's one of several devices that can treat liver cancer, but it uses a technology that breaks up and dissolves the tumour cells," Kassell said. "This contrasts with thermal ablation, which destroys the tissues by heating them."

China's annual new cancer cases are projected to surge to 7 million in 2040 from 4.82 million in 2022, according to the World Health Organization.

First invented in 1950 for treating psychiatric disorders, the procedure's development gained traction about 25 years ago, according to Kassell. Since the procedure involves no incisions, patients typically can return home the same day, and most require only one treatment that costs between US$3,000 and US$40,000.

Kassell estimated the industry's annual equipment sales at US$300 million to US$400 million, led by Israel-based Insightec, in which he is a shareholder, and China's Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology, the world's largest maker of ultrasound therapeutic devices.

Globally, there are 77 focused ultrasound equipment makers, of which 22 are in Asia, mostly in China, he said. Research on treatments for some 180 medical disorders have been conducted so far. Approvals for commercialisation have been granted by health authorities for 35 of them, including nine in the US.

The industry is waiting for one or two companies to exceed US$100 million in sales annually and make a profit, Kassell said. This will lead to such companies either going public or being acquired in the next two years, he added.

Some 140,000 focused ultrasound treatments were conducted worldwide last year, a threefold jump compared with 2018. Prostate, pancreatic, liver tumours and uterine fibroids together made up 80 per cent of last year's treatments.

Reimbursement by government healthcare providers or private insurers for uterine fibroids is available in 11 nations, compared with nine countries for prostate cancer and six for Parkinson's disease.

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has a budget of US$16 million this year, half of which is earmarked to support research. Sister foundation, Focused Ultrasound Hong Kong Foundation, established in 2020 supports research and fundraising in Asia.

Hong Kong has no specific regulations governing medical devices, but some products may be regulated by other existing legislation to ensure safety, quality and performance, a Department of Health spokeswoman said.

Ma Wai-kit, a urology specialist, said focal therapies - including ultrasound, cold energy, microwave and electrical energy - to treat prostate cancer have gained increasing attention in recent years because of the publication of more clinical studies.

"However, not every prostate cancer patient is a suitable candidate because of factors related to the disease's stage and location, patient's age, medical condition and availability of the specific type of treatment," he said.

Compared with other treatments, focused ultrasound has the lowest rate of side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, rectal inflammation, Ma said.

However, patients have to accept more stringent follow-up care, as the overall recurrence rate is higher compared with surgery or radiotherapy, Ma noted.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.