Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase II

Although primary brain tumours are relatively low in incidence compared to other anatomical sites, they are associated with poor outcomes. Many patients are ineligible for surgery due to the location of the tumour relative to critical structures in the brain. An alternative to surgery that could be offered to these patients is MRI-guided thermal ablation of the tumour mass using devices inserted through small openings made in the skull. These minimally-invasive treatments have the potential to achieve complete tissue destruction with less trauma than surgical resection. The integration of MRI into the procedure provides real-time visualization of the spatial heating pattern in the brain and tumour, enabling precise control over the region of thermal damage. Monteris Medical, a Canadian medical device company has developed a system for MRI-guided laser ablation which has been used successfully in a number of sites in North America. While the initial results already show significant potential, there are some limitations associated with the use of lasers that could be overcome through the use of ultrasound as the source of heating. In particular, ultrasound has the potential for treating larger volumes of tissue in a shorter time, which could expand the population of patients that could be treated with this minimally-invasive approach. The proposed project will evaluate the feasibility of using MRI-guided ultrasound ablation for treatment of brain tumours, building on the experience at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre applying this technology for the treatment prostate tissue. If the performance advantages anticipated with ultrasound are demonstrated in preclinical studies, this technology could form the next generation of devices offered by Monteris for the treatment of brain tumours.