Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.8
4.4
Journals
Cancers
Special Issues
Clinical Applications of Ultrasound in Cancer Imaging and Treatment
share announcement

Clinical Applications of Ultrasound in Cancer Imaging and Treatment

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 3671

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gregory Jan Czarnota

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Interests: ultrasound imaging; spectroscopy of cancer therapy responses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultrasound is a non-invasive, safe, and widely available imaging modality that has been utilized in the diagnosis and management of many medical conditions. In recent years, it has also emerged as an important tool in the detection and characterization of cancer. Ultrasound provides real-time imaging and is particularly useful for evaluating superficial structures and organs such as the breasts, liver, thyroid and lymph nodes. One of the key advantages of ultrasound is its ability to differentiate between malignant and benign lesions. This is achieved by analyzing the echo pattern and other features of the lesion. In addition, ultrasound is used to guide biopsies and other interventional procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation and cryotherapy, with high precision.

Ultrasound is often used in combination with other imaging modalities such as CT and MRI to provide a comprehensive evaluation of cancer. It is also useful in monitoring the response to treatment and detecting tumor recurrence. Overall, ultrasound has tremendous potential in the clinical management of cancer and continues to evolve with the development of new techniques and technologies.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in ultrasound imaging technology for the detection and treatment of various types of cancer.

Prof. Dr. Gregory Jan Czarnota
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ultrasound
  • imaging
  • CT
  • MRI
  • treatment

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 1488 KB  
Article
Validation of a Quantitative Ultrasound Texture Analysis Model for Early Prediction of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response in Breast Cancer: A Prospective Serial Imaging Study
by Daniel Moore-Palhares, Lakshmanan Sannachi, Adrian Wai Chan, Archya Dasgupta, Daniel DiCenzo, Sonal Gandhi, Rossanna Pezo, Andrea Eisen, Ellen Warner, Frances Wright, Nicole Look Hong, Ali Sadeghi-Naini, Mia Skarpathiotakis, Belinda Curpen, Carrie Betel, Michael C. Kolios, Maureen Trudeau and Gregory J. Czarnota
Cancers 2025, 17(15), 2594; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17152594 - 7 Aug 2025
Viewed by 445
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Patients with breast cancer who do not achieve a complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may benefit from intensified adjuvant systemic therapy. However, such treatment escalation is typically delayed until after tumour resection, which occurs several months into the treatment course. Quantitative [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Patients with breast cancer who do not achieve a complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may benefit from intensified adjuvant systemic therapy. However, such treatment escalation is typically delayed until after tumour resection, which occurs several months into the treatment course. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) can detect early microstructural changes in tumours and may enable timely identification of non-responders during NAC, allowing for earlier treatment intensification. In our previous prospective observational study, 100 breast cancer patients underwent QUS imaging before and four times during NAC. Machine learning algorithms based on QUS texture features acquired in the first week of treatment were developed and achieved 78% accuracy in predicting treatment response. In the current study, we aimed to validate these algorithms in an independent prospective cohort to assess reproducibility and confirm their clinical utility. Methods: We included breast cancer patients eligible for NAC per standard of care, with tumours larger than 1.5 cm. QUS imaging was acquired at baseline and during the first week of treatment. Tumour response was defined as a ≥30% reduction in target lesion size on the resection specimen compared to baseline imaging. Results: A total of 51 patients treated between 2018 and 2021 were included (median age 49 years; median tumour size 3.6 cm). Most were estrogen receptor–positive (65%) or HER2-positive (33%), and the majority received dose-dense AC-T (n = 34, 67%) or FEC-D (n = 15, 29%) chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab. The support vector machine algorithm achieved an area under the curve of 0.71, with 86% accuracy, 91% specificity, 50% sensitivity, 93% negative predictive value, and 43% positive predictive value for predicting treatment response. Misclassifications were primarily associated with poorly defined tumours and difficulties in accurately identifying the region of interest. Conclusions: Our findings validate QUS-based machine learning models for early prediction of chemotherapy response and support their potential as non-invasive tools for treatment personalization and clinical trial development focused on early treatment intensification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Applications of Ultrasound in Cancer Imaging and Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 31067 KB  
Article
Feasibility of Non-Invasive Sentinel Lymph Node Identification in Early-Stage NSCLC Through Ultrasound Guided Intra-Tumoral Injection of 99mTc-Nanocolloid and Iodinated Contrast Agent During Navigation Bronchoscopy
by Desi K. M. ter Woerds, Roel L. J. Verhoeven, Erik H. J. G. Aarntzen and Erik H. F. M. van der Heijden
Cancers 2024, 16(22), 3868; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16223868 - 19 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1864
Abstract
Background: As the first sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in lung cancer are most likely to harbor metastasis, their non-invasive identification could have a significant role in future treatments. We investigated the feasibility of adding an SLN procedure to a diagnostic navigation bronchoscopy. [...] Read more.
Background: As the first sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in lung cancer are most likely to harbor metastasis, their non-invasive identification could have a significant role in future treatments. We investigated the feasibility of adding an SLN procedure to a diagnostic navigation bronchoscopy. Methods: Thirty-one patients were included for injection of 99mTc-nanocolloid and an iodinated contrast agent intra-/peritumorally and assessment of tracer dissipation via SPECT and CBCT imaging. Injections were performed endobronchially using a multi-modal catheter (Pioneer Plus), combining radial ultrasound and an angulated retractable needle to place injections under fluoroscopy and real-time ultrasound. Results: The injection of an imaging tracer was feasible in all cases using the catheter. Ultrasound visualized 29/30 tumors, and tracer injection was performed in 100% of patients. An SLN was subsequently identified in 10 out of 31 cases (32.3%) via SPECT/CT imaging. Iodinated contrast agent injection under CBCT imaging prior to 99mTc nanocolloid injection visualized dissipation pathways and enabled needle relocation for subsequent 99mTc-nanocolloid injection. Conclusions: Performing imaging tracer injections with a multi-modal catheter provided safe and local depot placement immediately following diagnostic navigation bronchoscopy. SPECT/CT imaging using 99mTc-nanocolloid showed inconsistent results for SLN identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Applications of Ultrasound in Cancer Imaging and Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 5323 KB  
Review
Contrast-Enhanced Harmonic Endoscopic Ultrasonography for Prediction of Aggressiveness and Treatment Response in Patients with Pancreatic Lesions
by Marco Spadaccini, Gianluca Franchellucci, Marta Andreozzi, Maria Terrin, Matteo Tacelli, Piera Zaccari, Maria Chiara Petrone, Gaetano Lauri, Matteo Colombo, Valeria Poletti, Giacomo Marcozzi, Antonella Durante, Roberto Leone, Maria Margherita Massaro, Antonio Facciorusso, Alessandro Fugazza, Alessandro Repici, Paolo Giorgio Arcidiacono and Silvia Carrara
Cancers 2025, 17(15), 2545; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17152545 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Endoscopic ultrasonography represents a crucial aspect of the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. The echo-endoscopic features of pancreatic lesions, particularly their contrast behavior with the advent of Contrast-Enhanced EUS (CE-EUS) and Contrast Enhanced Harmonic-EUS (CH-EUS), can predict a lesion’s aggressiveness, depending on its nature. [...] Read more.
Endoscopic ultrasonography represents a crucial aspect of the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. The echo-endoscopic features of pancreatic lesions, particularly their contrast behavior with the advent of Contrast-Enhanced EUS (CE-EUS) and Contrast Enhanced Harmonic-EUS (CH-EUS), can predict a lesion’s aggressiveness, depending on its nature. According to this, CH-EUS could be applied to structure an even more dedicated approach to patient care, for example, to ascertain eligibility for surgical intervention of a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cases deemed borderline resectable. In addition to PDAC, other significant issues pertain to the management of small neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs). In this context, CH-EUS can be crucial. The aim of this review is to underline the most recent evidence for EUS and CH-EUS applications in pancreatic lesion aggressiveness assessment and to focus on possible future research directions to further extend the application of CH-EUS in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Applications of Ultrasound in Cancer Imaging and Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop