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glossary/frequently asked questions

What is cancer?

Cancer is an abnormal form of tissue that grows uncontrollably and can eventually cause damage to other parts of the body. Cancer cells usually exhibit damaged or altered DNA.

What is a tumor?

A tumor is an abnormal growth of cells. A benign tumor is generally harmless and is not cancerous. A malignant tumor is a cancerous growth.

What is thermal therapy?

Thermal therapy is the use of radiation or other forms of energy to heat a target tissue to cause damage. Many tumors are more susceptible to thermal therapy due to their high degree of vascularization and altered DNA, which reduces resistance to heat damage.

• At temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius or more, water in the tissue and in the intracellular compartments may vaporize and lead to rupture or explosion of cells or tissue components.
• At temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius, proteins and cellular components of the tissue become severely denatured and coagulate leading to cell and tissue death.
• At somewhat lower temperatures, generally above 45 degrees Celsius, prolonged exposure leads to the thermal denaturation of non-stabilized proteins such as enzymes. Though cell death is not immediate, destruction of critical enzymes leads eventually to cell death.

For more information, see treatments.

What is LITT?

Laser-induced interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive therapy for the treatment of solid tumors that uses laser light to destroy the affected tissue through heat. In LITT, fiber optics are placed directly into the tumor to deliver laser light energy within the desired region of treatment. After proper positioning of fibers target tissues are irradiated using infrared light. Absorption of light energy by the tissue volume results in volumetric heating which ultimately leads to thermal destruction of the tumor.

"A particular advantage of LITT is that large amounts of energy may be delivered through small, flexible optical fibers to reach remote areas inside the body. LITT may be performed using a simple bare-tip optical fiber or with a shaped (for example, ball-tip) fiber. However, a high power density immediately adjacent to the fiber tip often leads to char formation which limits penetration of optical radiation into the tissue.

As an alternative, diffusing optical fiber applicators have been developed which emit light circumferentially into tissue over some length. Such fibers have the advantages of reduced power density and an increased optical delivery area.

In addition to a diffusing tip, some laser applicators may also include povision for cooling of either the applicator or the tissue adjacent to it. Cooled applicators can support higher power deposition rates and may be less likely to fail or burn up than un-cooled applicators.

Laser applicators for LITT may be inserted into target tissue using a number of image-guided techniques including x-ray fluoroscopy, ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, or stereotaxic approaches. MRI in particular, is attractive because dynamic MRI can be used to infer temperature changes and/or other tissue changes as a potential means of feedback during the LITT treatment."

Minimally invasive LITT therapies offer tremendous potential to minimize surgical complications, reduce recovery time and hospital stays, and decrease associated health care costs. LITT heats and destroys the tumor from the inside. The advantage is that the energy is applied directly to the tumor rather than passing through surrounding normal tissue. Also the energy deposition is more likely to be extended throughout the entire tumor.

What is MRI?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique that allows physicians to visualize the structure and function of the body. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to generate images of tissue.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is an ongoing study of new drugs or medical procedures, usually sponsored by a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company. The purpose of these studies is to determine if new treatments are safe and effective against specific types of diseases and illnesses. There are usually three phases of a clinical trial that measure safety, dosage and efficacy. If a treatment is proven to have a statistically significant impact, it will be considered for approval of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). See our clinical trials page for more information on our clinical trials.