Bladder Cancer – Prof. Daniel Ahmed (UNIBE) et Prof. Beat Roth (INSEL) 

Innovative tools to replace radical surgical approaches to bladder cancer

Ultrasound Embolization for Minimally Invasive Local Treatment of Bladder Tumors

Persistent or recurring non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) usually requires radical surgery that removes much of the bladder. This severely affects the patient’s quality of life. This proposal concerns a bladder-preserving alternative through image-guided therapy using a biocompatible liquid called “sonoink.” The material would be injected into the tumor, and then focused ultrasound will trigger it to solidify only within the tumor area. This may block tumor blood supply, mechanically consolidate the lesion, and possibly kill tumor cells allowing efficient resection that preserves the bladder wall, ideally avoiding radical surgical intervention.