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Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Shock Wave Application to Cell Cultures
Published on: April 8, 2014
[Shock wave therapy in oncology: in vitro, in vivo, rehabilitation]
1Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Rehabilitation, Restorative and Sports Medicine of the Department of Health of the City of Moscow, Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a relatively new branch of physiotherapy.
Purpose Of The Study:
Conduct an analytical review of the available literature data on the use of ESWT in oncology.
Material And Methods:
A review was conducted, including data from electronic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, World Health Organization, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ScienceDirect, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, PubMed, Google Scholar, elibrary, CyberLeninka, disserCat.
Results And Conclusion:
The study of ESWT in oncology is carried out in two directions: 1) impact on the tumor with the aim of its disintegration, inhibition of growth, enhancement of the action of radiation and/or chemotherapy; 2) rehabilitation of cancer patients. Shock waves in vitro and in vivo significantly reduce the viability and activate apoptosis of cell lines of osteosarcoma, cancer of the stomach, colon, rectum, bladder, breast, urothelial cancer of the upper urinary tract, adenocarcinoma of the cervix, Burkitt's lymphoma, sarcoma, anaplastic thyroid cancer glands, glioblastoma multiforme. Shock waves also sensitize tumor cells for adjuvant chemotherapy and increase its antitumor activity. The lack of a stimulating effect on a number of malignant tumors in this physical factor makes it possible to conduct ESWT studies in the rehabilitation of cancer patients. The data obtained by a number of authors indicate the clinical efficacy of ESWT in the rehabilitation of patients with erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy, with postmastectomy lymphedema of the upper limb, with myofascial pain syndrome after cervical lymph node dissection due to malignant neoplasms of the head and neck, with peripheral polyneuropathy induced by cytostatics. However, in order to develop indications and contraindications for the appointment of ESWT in the rehabilitation of cancer patients, it is not enough just to evaluate its clinical effectiveness; currently absent scientific studies with long-term follow-up of patients who received this method of physiotherapy are needed.
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