Introduction
Ongoing research into the cancer treatment oncotripsy is aimed at developing a method that uses ultrasound harmonic stimulation at a resonance frequency specific to cancer cells, this is an example of ultrasound therapy. As a minimally invasive treatment for cancer, oncotripsy does not require surgery. Using low-intensity pulsed ultrasonic sound waves, cavitation can be caused in cancer cells. To target and destroy neoplastic cells, oncotripsy uses low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPSA), which has mechanical properties. Ultrasound at 0.5–0.67 MHz for >20 ms selectively disrupts breast, colon, and leukemia cancer cell types in suspension. Cytoskeletal destabilization, the formation of apoptotic marks, as well as cellular damage are all caused by cell generated cavitation and acoustic standing waves. This design incorporates the cytoplasm, nucleus, nucleoplasm, cell walls, as well as nuclear envelope (Jiang 2105). Healthy and malignant cells have distinct growth rates, yet their inherent frequencies have a significant spectrum gap between the two. With the use of simulation, it is possible to observe the nonlinear transient response of both healthy and malignant cells during resonance.
The stimulation of cancerous cells can kill them without causing harm to healthy cells. Ultrasound therapy for cancer patients has been around since the 1930s (Rudra 43). High-intensity beams were used to heat and destroy cells in the beginning. Prior to ultrasonography, the patient was given a separate dose of contrast chemicals to kill any cells in the immediate region of the patient’s body. Using heat to kill cancer and healthy cells has a number of downsides. New resonance therapy methods were announced in 2016. Oncogenic cancer cells could be killed in vitro for the first time using the low-intensity resonance approach for the first time in 2020. This method had not yet been tested on live animals when it was announced. According to their hypothesis that cells are sensitive to ultrasound at specific frequencies, solid mechanics experts at Caltech originally presented the idea of oncotripsy. When low-intensity ultrasound was applied at precise frequencies, Caltech researchers found that cancer cells’ cellular skeletons were broken down, but adjacent healthy cells were unaffected
Importance of Oncotripsy
Oncotripsy is used to treat cancer-related oncological medical issues. An ultrasound technique that uses the tumor’s specific physical and structural characteristics to target as well as deliver a more selective, safer option is the goal of this research. Many types of cancer cells can be destroyed using this technique without harming healthy blood cells since the intensity and frequency are adjusted to fit the target cells.
For most ultrasound-based treatments, high-intensity ultrasound beams or specific contrast agents are utilized. These compounds have the potential to wreak havoc on nearby cells. Only a small percentage of tumors benefit from contrast agents since heat can damage both healthy and malignant cells. Oncotripsy, as opposed to high-intensity ultrasound, is a better option because it is less invasive. With a technique called oncotripsy, cancer cells are identified and then destroyed based on their physical properties.
Oncotripsy has the advantage of specifically targeting cancer cells depending on the mechanical characteristics of those cells. Oncotripsy is an intriguing demonstration of a novel cancer therapy that does not necessitate the illness to have unique molecular markers or to be positioned apart from healthy cells in order to be targeted (Jiang 2105). This study’s findings are aimed at encouraging alternative cancer treatment options, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and surgery, to be considered in conjunction with oncotripsy as a therapeutic option. When a cell experiences this form of ultrasonic stress, researchers want to learn more about what happens within. Because it does not produce heat, it has less of an effect on healthy cells (Jiang 2706). The surgery has a negative impact on a person’s economic, social, psychological and physical well-being. There is currently a $150 billion industry in oncology in the US (Jiang 2107). The pharmaceutical business sets a high price for chemotherapy treatments, which accounts for most of the company’s revenue.
However, oncology generates more revenue than general surgery and is the second most profitable nonsurgical specialty in the United States. A hospital’s oncologists will bring in $2.86 million per year. Because of the high cost of healthcare in the United States, many cancer sufferers find themselves in tremendous debt as a result One-third to one-half of survivors indicate they incurred significant debt during treatment, half of them amassed debt of $10,000 or more (Jiang 2112). Thus, the above condition has made it difficult for many cancer patients to access the necessary therapies.
Ultrasonic Cavitation
Waveforms display the physical phenomenon of resonance. There are two ways to do this: electromagnetic waves or mechanical waves. Mechanic waves, such as sound, need a medium to flow in, such as air. Propagation of sound is fundamentally a form of energy that travels over space. As a longitudinal waveform, compressions correlate to higher frequencies, and rarefactions to lower frequencies (Mittelstein 33). The larger the peak-to-peak distance, amplitude, the higher the decibel, a unit of loudness, which is measured in decibels. In order to transfer energy, sound must be applied to an object. The object will vibrate if the sound’s frequency matches the thing’s inherent frequency. Resonance is the term for this phenomenon (Mittelstein 40). The object may even shatter at high amplitudes. This can be seen in the way opera singers smash wine glasses. To begin, they lightly tap the glass to hear the natural sound it makes frequency. Then, at a loud enough volume, they reproduce the same frequency. The wine glass will sag until it shatters in two directions. Theoretically, a sound wave can be mapped targeting a cancer cell and matching its native frequency should cause the cancer cell to lyse violently. Because cancer cells differ mechanically from healthy ones, ought to resonate at a different natural frequency.
Article reviews: Figueroa-Schibber, Erika. High-Cycle Dynamic Cell Fatigue with Applications on Oncotripsy. Diss. California Institute of Technology, 2020
An article by Figueroa-Schibber discusses how oncotripsy targets malignant cells selectively with adjusted low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, taking advantage of abnormalities in the material properties and shape of diseased cells. Oncotripsy is superior to other noninvasive ultrasound treatments for removing cancerous tissue because it can target sick tissue while causing the least amount of damage to good cells. Cell dynamics, statistical mechanical theory, and the ‘birth-death’ kinetics of the cytoskeleton are used to describe the damage and healing processes of the cytoskeleton.
As part of the above effort, the researchers constructed a simplified dynamical model that can be used to study cell dynamics, including sensitivity analysis and process optimization. The cytoskeleton damage is measured by a state variable in conjunction with the nucleus’s movement in relation to the cell membrane (Figueroa-Schibber 23). Structural dynamics and cytoskeleton repair kinetics shape the dynamical system throughout time. Vibrations, attenuation periods, cytoskeleton repair times, pulsing periods, and ultrasonic exposure times all contribute to complex dynamics that can be observed over a wide range of temporal scales. Fatigue is the primary cause for cell damage that occurs after millions of ultrasonic cycles. Researchers took into account cell variability and quantify the resulting variance in cell death time. The dynamical model accurately predicts and explains experimentally observable trends, such as the oncotripsy effect.
Socio-Cultural Ideals, Assumptions, Biases, Views of Oncotripsy and Oncological Treatments
Oncological treatments are stigmatized since chemotherapy affect the brain and can produce weariness, sadness, mental fog, and other forms of cognitive impairment. Chemotherapy and radiation cause fatigue, hair loss, and nausea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and reduced libido. Some treatments may also cause bodily dysmorphia. Because oncotripsy is less invasive, the psychological aspect decreases side effects and patient burden. Oncotripsy lyses cancer cells faster than healthy ones. Patients could get more frequent and lengthier treatments without regard for their mental or physical health. The minimally invasive procedure should reduce these side effects. Oncotripsy lyses cancer cells faster than healthy ones. COVID-19 has an effect on the health of society, but it has also caused several economic issues. Many uninsured patients were unable to afford treatment as a result. Traditional cancer treatments create as much collateral damage to the patient’s health as it does to cancer. Patients can even refuse certain treatments after witnessing the toll it took on their loved ones. In light of the prevalence of the virus in the U.S., hospitals could be one of the most dangerous places for cancer patients.
Actors in Ontotrispy
Cancer Patients
People suffering from cancer can testify to the treatment’s side effects. Patients who have previously received chemotherapy can better distinguish how they feel on low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS). They would know if a less invasive treatment made them feel better. Patients with advanced cancer could enter initial clinical trials with an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. Some patients may get both treatments at once. Others would be given a placebo instead of ultrasound therapy.
Oncologists
The oncologists will conduct patient trials and publish the results. They completed 4 years of undergraduate study, four years in the medical school, three years in the internal medicine residency, as well as three-to-five years of hematology-oncology fellowship (UCLA). The total number of oncology papers grows by 4.9% annually (Jiang 2709). Oncologists may work with LIPUS to organize patient therapies based on lab and radiographic results. They would certainly seek for funding and clinical studies for LIPUS. They would agree that this treatment has fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy and radiation while yet being effective. They would also see how this treatment reduces patient pain and suffering, in line with the Hippocratic Oath. The American Cancer Society has funded scientists and oncologists with over $5 billion (Rudra 45). However, the oncologists are at an advantage because they profit from every chemotherapy dose.
Patients Support Groups
Patient support groups are also essential actors in the oncotripsy project. There are numerous purposes that support groups perform including educating patients/family, sharing the illness experience, supporting members with strength, raising awareness of the disease, and raising funds. Some studies have demonstrated that patients with head and neck cancer who participate in support groups improve their quality of life. Otolaryngology patients have access to a wide range of support groups, from those dealing with head and neck cancer to those dealing with tinnitus and spasmodic dysphonia. Face-to-face and online support groups exist for those with mental health issues in a variety of ways. Astonishingly, just 10% of patients participate in support groups (Rudra 46). Awareness, time limits, and dealing with the negative features of the disease are some of the hurdles to accessing support groups. Doctors of Otolaryngology can assist patients in finding support groups so they can reap the benefits of their medical condition.
Pharmaceutical Companies
Pharmaceutical corporations give Cancer patients chemotherapy, they make the medications cheaply and sell them to hospitals at a profit. As many as ten times their true value is estimated to be charged to patients, according to some estimates by working with LIPUS, they may be able to reap the benefits. Aside from ultrasound therapy, they might sell their items as an additional tool that will assist patients achieve remission LIPUS poses a significant risk to the pharmaceutical industry. However, chemotherapy drugs bring in billions of dollars a year. It is possible that they will tamper with FDA approval or public opinion in order to maintain their monopoly. They may also try to persuade oncologists to use their drugs more frequently than LIPUS, which is an alternative treatment for cancer.
Hospitals
Hospitals are also essential actors since they can incorporate multi-disciplinary care teams (MDTs) for cancer patients Cancer care can be administered in a variety of ways, including the use of multiple models of care. Patients’ care plans can be discussed regular MDT meetings, which are multidisciplinary clinics staffed by a variety of health care providers overall, these MDTs and clinics tend to focus on a certain tumor or organ. It is possible to have regular interactions between rural and metropolitan cancer centers via videoconferencing or teleconference. For the most part, rural teams do not have the same level of development as their counterparts in larger cities and metropolitan areas.
Conclusion
Oncotripsy, a minimally invasive cancer treatment, can be performed without the need for surgery. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPSA) is used to target and destroy neoplastic cells by utilizing their mechanical properties. Since the 1930s, ultrasound has been employed as a cancer treatment. Oncotripsy is an interesting proof of concept for a novel sort of cancer therapy that does not require the disease to have unique molecular markers or to be positioned separately from healthy cells. The technology is able to break apart many types of cancer cells while causing no harm to healthy blood cells. Propagation of sound is fundamentally a form of energy that travels over space. In order to transfer energy, sound must be applied to an object. The object vibrates if the sound’s frequency matches its inherent frequency.
Oncotripsy is superior to other noninvasive ultrasound treatments for removing cancerous tissue. It can target sick tissue while causing the least amount of damage to good cells. Cell dynamics, statistical mechanical theory, and the ‘birth-death’ kinetics of the cytoskeleton are used. In addition, oncotripsy lyses cancer cells faster than healthy ones. Traditional cancer treatments create as much collateral damage to the patient’s health as it does to cancer. Patients with advanced cancer could enter initial clinical trials with an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. Thus, oncologists will conduct patient trials and publish the results. The total number of oncology papers grows by 4.9% annually oncologists may work with LIPUS to organize patient therapies based on lab and radiographic results. Cancer care can be administered in a variety of ways, including the use of multiple models of care. Hospitals are also essential actors since they can incorporate multi-disciplinary care teams (MDTs) for cancer patients.
Works Cited
Figueroa-Schibber, Erika. High-Cycle Dynamic Cell Fatigue with Applications on Oncotripsy. Diss. California Institute of Technology, 2020.
Jiang, Xiaoxue, et al. “A Review of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Therapeutic Applications.” IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 66.10 (2018): 2704-2718.
Mittelstein, David Reza. Modifying Ultrasound Waveform Parameters to Control, Influence, or Disrupt Cells. Diss. California Institute of Technology, 2020.
Rudra, Tapash. “Improvisation of Conventional Techniques: The Future of Oncology Research.” (2020).