Rhode Island Hospital

Rhode Island Hospital Launches First-in-Nation Trial Combining Focused Ultrasound with Immunotherapy for Brain Metastases

- Rhode Island Hospital has become the first institution in the United States to enroll patients in a groundbreaking clinical trial combining focused ultrasound with immunotherapy to treat brain metastases from lung cancer. - The innovative approach uses non-invasive sound waves to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, allowing immunotherapy drugs to better penetrate brain tumors that are typically protected by this natural shield. - Brain metastases affect an estimated one in four patients with lung cancer, with over 98% of current drugs unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, leaving patients with limited treatment options beyond surgery and radiation. - The randomized trial will compare immunotherapy alone versus the combination of focused ultrasound plus immunotherapy, with treatments administered six times over three-week intervals across seven institutions worldwide.