The tumor might be too close to a major vein, or it might be too big, or there might be multiple tumors.But microwave ablation is minimally invasive and can be very effective.
Is there anything microwaves can’t do? From bringing day-old spaghetti back to life to heating up queso in a matter of seconds, microwaves have been used in medicine for a long time. They carry more energy than radio waves, but less energy than x-rays. Polar molecules, like water, react to the oscillating microwaves, while non-polar materials like ceramics, plastics, and bones are not affected.
Microwave diathermy is used to treat muscle and bone issues, and microwave ablation is gaining traction in oncology as a reliable way to kill cancerous tumors, especially in the liver. This method is minimally invasive and can be very effective, since cutting out liver tumors is often difficult. Microwave ablation (MWA) is becoming an increasingly popular option for treating certain early-stage cancers, as it is less invasive and causes less stress on the body. It can also help the body’s immune system fight the cancer. In MWA, a small needle with a microwave antenna is guided directly into the tumor. The antenna creates a field that heats up the nearby tissue, destroying the tumor and 1cm around it in all directions. An even newer advance is the combination of MWA with magnetic nanoparticles, which can make the microwaves even more effective. Studies have also shown that the immune systems of patients who had MWA for their early-stage breast cancer showed markers of being better-equipped to fight the cancer, and mice with metastatic breast cancer had better survival rates after being treated with MWA than with surgery.
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