In this piece, Roger shares how he became curious about High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and what he discovered about this evolving technology. HIFU delivers focused ultrasound energy to destroy tumour tissue and is already used in some cancers, with growing interest in its potential for sarcoma.

Key points from the article:

• How HIFU works: Focused ultrasound heats and destroys tumour tissue, with possible immune-stimulating effects.

• The SarcAblate study: A clinical study exploring the safety and feasibility of HIFU for soft tissue sarcomas and intra-abdominal desmoid tumours, including outcomes on tumour destruction, survival, recurrence, and quality of life.

• Histotripsy: A newer ultrasound technique that mechanically breaks down tumour tissue using microscopic bubbles, approved for liver tumours and now entering clinical use in the UK.

• Why it matters: Ultrasound-based ablation could become a valuable addition or alternative to surgery and other ablative therapies in sarcoma.