In future clinical trials the doctors may apply a second treatment that might eliminate the cancer faster. That would eliminate the need for surgery and conventional radiation treatments. Dr. Fenn noted, however, that if the cancer has spread, the patient would still need chemotherapy. Currently the procedure uses two tiny needle probes to sense and measure parameters during treatment. He expects that in the future, the procedure will be noninvasive.
Side effects appear to be minimal.
The only significant effect noted so far has been a slight fever a few days following treatment. The technique could also be potentially applied to other cancers. The researchers hope to focus next on prostate cancer. The original MIT Lincoln Laboratory research was funded by the Department of the Air Force. Dr. Fenn has received four United States patents on the technology, which is under exclusive license from MIT to Celsion Corporation in Columbia, Maryland.