Ultrasound-enhanced drug dispersion through solid tumours and itspossible role in aiding ultrasound-targeted cancer chemotherapy

It has been demonstrated that inadequate dispersion of cancer chemotherapeutic drugsthroughout the tissues of larger, relatively poorly vascularised tumours compromises thetherapeutic effectiveness of such drugs. Recently we demonstrated that electric fields couldbe exploited to achieve dispersion of a cancer chemotherapeutic drug through relativelyimpermeable tissues of a poorly vascularised solid tumour model. Using a modified SonidelSP100 sonoporator we demonstrate that ultrasound may enhance the toxicity of a cancerchemotherapeutic drug by dispersing the drug through relatively impermeable tissues of anon-vascularised tumour model in vivo. We suggest that such a phenomenon may play asignificant role in ultrasound targeting of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, particularly inthe treatment of solid tumours.