Microwave Ablation Devices Heating Up, But Competition Looms
By Jim Pomager, Executive Editor
Over the past several years, microwave ablation — the use of microwave energy to heat and destroy diseased tissue — has established itself as the medical procedure of choice for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and liver, prostate, kidney, lung, and other forms of cancer. However, it doesn’t appear as though the microwave ablation device market will rest on its laurels. If recent research reports and news coverage of novel applications are any indication, the technology is poised for significant future growth.
The global market for ablation devices is huge, projected by market research firm MarketsandMarkets to reach $12.4 billion by 2016. The report Ablation Devices Market to 2016 attributes ablation’s rising popularity to the growth in aging population, a (corresponding) increase in soft tissue cancers and heart disease, a general preference for minimally invasive treatments, and ablation’s cost effectiveness versus traditional surgery. The Americas and Europe are currently the two largest markets for ablation technology, but as you might expect, Asia is the fastest growing.
While microwave ablation represents only a portion of that $12.4 billion projection, it is a rapidly growing segment, particularly in the United States, according to the Millennium Research Group study US Markets for Nonvascular Interventional Radiology Devices 2013. In fact, the report suggests that microwave ablation devices will take a significant bite out of RF ablation’s market share through 2017, due to inherent advantages of microwave technology. For one, microwaves devices can generate a larger zone of active heating, thanks to their broader field of power density. Additionally, microwaves are not as susceptible as radio waves to the heat sink effect caused by tissue charred or desiccated during the procedure. (Unrelated to the technological benefits, the report also points to the increased merger and acquisition activity surrounding small microwave ablation device companies as evidence of the technology’s potential.)
In the past two weeks alone, I’ve noticed several news headlines related to microwave ablation that would appear to reinforce the enthusiasm of market prognosticators. On the new application front, a study conducted at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Besancon, France, found that microwave ablation therapy can reduce the pain associated with bone and soft tissue sarcoma (cancer) by half for a period lasting longer than 4 months. The system involved in the study used a 4.5 GHz microwave generator and a 17-guage antenna to cause coagulation of the tumor. The findings indicate that microwaves could be preferable to RF for the treatment of these serious conditions.
On the lighter (application) side, a New York City dermatologist presented results of a study that used microwave ablation to successfully treat — of all things — excessive sweating, known clinically as hyperhidrosis. In the study, a handheld system was used to destroy underarm sweat glands, reducing the severity of patients’ symptoms by over 95%. For kicks, I’ve embedded a YouTube video on the technology below.
I also read about an upstart technology — and potential future challenger to microwave ablation — for the minimally invasive treatment of certain cancers. Researchers at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York) this week presented preliminary findings from their study using irreversible electroporation (IRE) to punch microscopic holes in difficult-to-treat tumors that had metastasized to the liver from the lungs, pancreas, thyroid, prostate, and uterus. What differentiates IRE from thermal ablation techniques (microwave, RF, and cryoablation/freezing) and traditional surgery is its precision — it uses microsecond electrical pulses to perforate the cancer cell membranes, leaving surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
Will IRE or another alternative treatment unseat microwave from their perch atop the minimally invasive cancer and cardiac treatment world? If so, probably not for a good long while. In the meantime, those of you involved in the design, manufacture, and testing of microwave ablation devices can reap the benefits of a thriving and growing market — and continue developing the next generation of innovative microwave technologies to combat life-threatening medical conditions.