The Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound and Ultrasound Cavitation in the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Application of Solid Tumor

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has emerged as a powerful, non-invasive imaging modality for the diagnosis and characterization of solid tumors. Unlike B-mode ultrasound imaging, CEUS utilizes microbubble contrast agents to enhance vascular imaging and provide real-time, high-resolution insights into tumor perfusion and vascular architecture. Conversely, ultrasound cavitation, particularly when enhanced by microbubble contrast agents, has revolutionized therapeutic strategies for solid tumors. Beyond direct ablation, microbubble-mediated cavitation has shown promise in modulating tumor microenvironment. By disrupting tumor stroma, cavitation enhances vascular permeability, facilitating deeper penetration of therapeutic agents into the tumor mass. Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that this approach can overcome the intrinsic barriers of solid tumors, such as dense extracellular matrices and hypoxic regions, which often limit the efficacy of conventional treatments. Researchers are also investigating the other biological effects of ultrasound cavitation, such as triggering anti-tumor immune responses by exposing tumor antigens or modulating immune cell infiltration.

The diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors remain significant challenges in oncology due to limitations in current imaging and therapeutic modalities. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) offers a safe, cost-effective, and radiation-free modality to improve tumor visualization and characterization. However, its clinical applications and potential mechanism are pending to study. This Research Topic aims to focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of CEUS and ultrasound cavitation in solid tumors, evaluate their safety and efficacy, and explore emerging trends such as ultrasound-mediated immunotherapy and AI integration for improving outcomes in cancer management.

We welcome contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following areas:
● Diagnostic applications of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in solid tumors (e.g., liver, pancreatic, prostate), for example, comparative studies of CEUS with other imaging modalities.
● Therapeutic applications of ultrasound cavitation in solid tumors.
● Case studies highlighting the use of CEUS and/or cavitation in the management of specific solid tumors.
● Clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-based diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
● Emerging trends and future perspectives: e.g., integration of artificial intelligence in ultrasound imaging and therapy; exploring ultrasound-mediated immunotherapy in solid tumors; evaluating biomarkers for monitoring response to ultrasound-based therapies.

Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound, Cavitation, Diagnosis, Therapy, Tumor

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.