Applications of lipid-coated microbubble ultrasonic contrast to tumor therapy

Lipid-coated microbubbles (LCM) make an excellent diagnostic ultrasonic contrast agent in experimental tumor systems. LCM have been shown to aggregate in brain tumors and subcutaneous tumors after intravenous administration, and to provide persistent image enhancement for many minutes. In this work, experimental subcutaneous Walker Carcinosarcoma is insonated after the bubbles are given intravenously. Selective necrosis, lymphocyte proliferation and hemorrhage within the tumor can be demonstrated. Preliminary data are given to demonstrate this phenomenon. The mechanism of the effect is discussed in the context of both heating and cavitation.