Histotripsy can safely target the pancreas in laboratory study

Pancreatic cancer continues to be a devastating disease, with an overall 5-year survival rate of around 13%. Accounting for about 3% of all cancers, it is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Difficulties in diagnosis—due to the anatomic location of the pancreas and patients being asymptomatic or having ambiguous symptoms in early stages—cause treatment options to be limited. Surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other interventions present significant challenges, prompting researchers to continue to seek new alternatives.