Laser ablation of pancreatic cancer using a cylindrical light diffuser

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a leading cause of cancer death and its incidence and mortality have shown an increasing trend. Despite improvements in outcomes, another treatment option is required for PC. Laser ablation (LA) has been evaluated for the treatment of various types of cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and feasibility of a novel cylindrical light diffuser in a xenograft model of PC. This study was performed using a customized high-power laser system. PANC-1 cells and BALB/c mice were used for experiments at a laser power of 5 W for 40 to 200 s at five different energy levels ( n = 30). There was no acute bleeding or major complication. Using the cylindrical light diffuser, tumors were irradiated with similar size in each energy group. A correlation between laser dose and tumor necrosis was observed. Pearson’s correlation for the relation between the amount of necrosis area and laser ablation energy on day 3 was 0.78 ( p