Development of Radiofrequency Ablation Needle for Safe and Precise Cancer Cell Removal

Professor Inkyu Park of KAIST and Research Team "Temperature and Pressure Measurement Possible in Tissue Undergoing High-Frequency Ablation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Domestic researchers have developed a needle that can safely and precisely remove cancer cells using high-frequency waves.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 2nd that Professor In-Kyu Park's research team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, in collaboration with Dr. Hyo-Geun Lim's research team at Samsung Seoul Hospital and Dr. Jin-Woo Lee's research team at RF Medical Co., Ltd., developed an ablation needle capable of real-time measurement of temperature and pressure in tissues undergoing high-frequency ablation during cancer ablation procedures.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive method that removes cancer tissue by inserting a conductive needle into the cancer tissue and heating it to a high temperature through electrical ablation. The procedure is convenient and effective, and it places less burden on patients, making it widely used in cancer treatment. However, heat generated during ablation causes body fluids to vaporize, increasing internal pressure, which leads to a small explosion phenomenon called steam pop during ablation. This explosion can adversely affect patients and, if it occurs before complete ablation of the cancer tissue, may even induce cancer metastasis, making it very dangerous.

To address this issue, the research team developed a thin-film biocompatible temperature and pressure sensor that can be integrated into RFA needles, enabling real-time monitoring of conditions at the ablation site. They implemented an RFA sensor-integrated needle (sRFA-needle) that reliably detects steam pop through preclinical and clinical experiments. This technology, the first in the world, simultaneously measures changes in temperature, pressure, and electrical conductivity inside the tissue, providing clues about how steam pop occurs.

The research results were published online on the 6th in the international journal Advanced Science (2020 impact factor 16.806) and were selected as the frontispiece article.

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