阅读说明：本技术 内窥镜下癌症治疗系统 (Endoscopic cancer treatment system ) 是由 中住慎一 于 2019-08-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：在治疗胰腺癌等内脏癌时,更可靠地仅对癌组织精确地加热来进行治疗。一种内窥镜下癌症治疗系统(100),与在超声波内窥镜下穿刺抽吸法中使用的超声波内窥镜(1)并用,通过加热对成为病变部的癌组织进行治疗,所述内窥镜下癌症治疗系统(100)的特征在于,具备：加热针(110),在其顶端侧设置有加热器和温度检测元件；以及控制部(116),其基于由温度检测元件检测出的温度数据,来将加热器控制为规定的温度,其中,加热针构成为：能够贯穿于设置在超声波内窥镜的插入部内的处置器具贯穿通道,并从设置在插入部的顶端侧的顶端开口部出入。(When treating visceral cancer such as pancreatic cancer, only cancer tissue is heated accurately and treated more reliably. An endoscopic cancer treatment system (100) that is used in combination with an ultrasonic endoscope (1) used in an ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method and treats a cancer tissue that is a lesion portion by heating, the endoscopic cancer treatment system (100) comprising: a heating needle (110) provided with a heater and a temperature detection element on the tip end side thereof; and a control unit (116) that controls the heater to a predetermined temperature based on temperature data detected by the temperature detection element, wherein the heating needle is configured to: the treatment instrument insertion channel is inserted into an insertion section of the ultrasonic endoscope, and is inserted into and removed from a distal end opening provided on a distal end side of the insertion section.)

1. An endoscopic cancer treatment system used in combination with an ultrasonic endoscope used in an ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method for treating a cancer tissue which is a lesion by heating, the endoscopic cancer treatment system comprising:

a heating needle provided with a heater and a temperature detection element on a tip side thereof; and

a control unit for controlling the heater to a predetermined temperature based on the temperature data detected by the temperature detection element,

wherein the heating needle is configured to: the treatment instrument insertion channel is configured to be inserted into an insertion section of the ultrasonic endoscope and to be inserted into and removed from a distal end opening provided on a distal end side of the insertion section.

2. The under-the-endoscope cancer therapy system according to claim 1,

the heating needle is fixedly provided in the cancer tissue after retracting or withdrawing a puncture needle in the treatment instrument insertion channel inserted into the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope from the distal end opening portion of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope, and the heater is controlled to be heated to a desired temperature.

3. The under-endoscope cancer treatment system according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit has the following functions: supplying a test current for testing an on state to the heater; confirming a length of the heater when the test current is supplied; and controlling to supply a current of a prescribed magnitude according to the length of the heater.

4. The under-the-endoscope cancer therapy system according to claim 3,

the test current and the current supplied from the control portion to the heater are direct currents.

5. The under-the-endoscope cancer therapy system according to claim 3,

the control unit supplies the current to the heater so that the temperature of the heater becomes 45 ℃ to 99 ℃.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an endoscopic cancer treatment system for treating a cancer tissue which is a lesion in an internal organ such as a pancreas by heating. This application is based on the priority claim of japanese patent application No. 2018-162983, filed in japan on 31/8/2018, which is incorporated by reference.

Background

Since it has been clarified that cancer cells are killed at a temperature of about 42 degrees, a treatment of selectively heating a lesion in a cancer tissue has been conventionally performed as one method of a cancer treatment. For example, patent document 1 discloses a cancer treatment device including: a heating element having a heating element made of a material that generates heat by electromagnetic induction and a ligand (ligand) that selectively binds to cancer cells attached thereto; and an induction heating unit that irradiates the heating element with an electromagnetic wave in a state in which the heating element is coupled to an affected part including cancer cells as a treatment target body. The cancer treatment device is characterized in that the heating element is inductively heated, and selectively heats only the cancer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

Patent document 2 discloses a heat treatment apparatus including an injection unit for injecting a metal lake solution into a lesion site and a heating unit for directly heating the injected metal lake solution by a high-frequency current, wherein the metal lake solution is boiled by the heating unit to kill the lesion site such as cancer cells. In this heat treatment apparatus, since the metal lake solution injected into the lesion is directly heated to boil, the lesion and its vicinity can be completely heated to reliably kill the lesion.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-290351

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-008101

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when cancer treatment is performed by heating cancer tissue that becomes a lesion, it is necessary to reliably heat only the cancer tissue that becomes a lesion to a desired temperature and avoid heating healthy tissue other than the cancer tissue. In particular, in the internal organs to be treated for cancer, the pancreas does not have a cell regeneration function unlike the liver and the like, and therefore, when cancer treatment is performed by heating, it is desired to perform treatment by accurately heating only the cancer tissue to be a lesion portion to a desired temperature while avoiding heating healthy tissue more reliably.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved endoscopic cancer treatment system which can more reliably and accurately heat only a cancer tissue to perform a treatment when treating an internal cancer such as pancreatic cancer.

Means for solving the problems

An aspect of the present invention is an endoscopic cancer treatment system used in combination with an ultrasonic endoscope used in an ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method for treating a cancer tissue which is a lesion part by heating, the endoscopic cancer treatment system including: a heating needle provided with a heater and a temperature detection element on a tip side thereof; and a control unit that controls the heater to a predetermined temperature based on temperature data detected by the temperature detection element, wherein the heating needle is configured to: the treatment instrument insertion channel is configured to be inserted into an insertion section of the ultrasonic endoscope and to be inserted into and removed from a distal end opening provided on a distal end side of the insertion section.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since the treatment instrument insertion channel of the ultrasonic endoscope used in the ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method is directly used to heat the cancer tissue to be the lesion by heating, only the cancer tissue to be the lesion can be reliably and accurately heated and treated.

In one aspect of the present invention, the heating needle may be fixedly provided in the cancer tissue after the puncture needle in the treatment instrument insertion channel inserted into the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope is retracted or retreated from the distal end opening portion of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope, and the heater may be controlled to heat the heating needle to a desired temperature.

In this way, when a specimen is extracted by the ultrasonic endoscopic piercing and suction method, after the position of the cancer tissue to be a lesion is confirmed, the cancer tissue can be accurately heated by heating to perform treatment.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may have: supplying a test current for testing an on state to the heater; confirming a length of the heater when the test current is supplied; and controlling to supply a current of a prescribed magnitude according to the length of the heater.

In this case, by supplying an electric current of an appropriate magnitude according to the length of the heater, the heater can be reliably heated to a desired temperature.

In one aspect of the present invention, the test current and the current supplied from the control unit to the heater may be direct currents.

Thus, generation of laser light, high frequency, electromagnetic waves, and the like due to heating by the heater can be suppressed, and thus adverse effects on healthy tissue around cancer tissue can be suppressed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may supply the current to the heater so that the temperature of the heater becomes 45 ℃ or higher and 99 ℃ or lower.

In this way, the lesion can be heated to a desired temperature necessary for killing cancer tissue, and thus a heat cauterization therapy that is less invasive to the patient can be achieved.

Invention ofEffect

As described above, according to the present invention, when a sample is extracted by a puncture suction method under an ultrasonic endoscope in the case of treating an internal cancer such as pancreatic cancer, since the position of a cancerous tissue which is a lesion is confirmed and then a heating needle is punctured into the cancerous tissue, it is possible to perform treatment by accurately heating only the cancerous tissue more reliably.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a heating needle provided in an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a distal end of an ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the puncture needle in the ultrasonic endoscope of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the operation of specimen extraction by the ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method using the ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7(a) to (C) are explanatory views of the operation of cancer therapy by the endoscopic cancer therapy system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims, and all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are not necessarily essential as solutions of the present invention.

First, a schematic configuration of an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a perspective diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating needle provided in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

An endoscopic cancer treatment system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for treating a cancer tissue which is a lesion by heating with a heating needle 110, in combination with an ultrasonic endoscope 1 used in an ultrasonic endoscopic puncture aspiration method (EUS-FNA). In particular, the endoscopic cancer therapy system 100 according to the present embodiment directly uses the result of observation and approach (apuach) of a lesion by EUS-FNA, which is obtained by extracting a specimen from the lesion while directly observing the lesion from the body using the ultrasonic endoscope 1, and directly heats the cancer tissue that becomes the lesion using the heating needle 110, thereby realizing a low-invasive heat cauterization therapy for the patient P1.

As shown in fig. 1, an endoscopic cancer therapy system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heating needle 110 and a control unit 116. As shown in fig. 2, the heating needle 110 is provided with a heater 113 and a temperature detection element 114 on the distal end side of a needle portion 111 for puncturing a lesion. Since the needle portion 111 can be pierced into an affected part in a living body, such as a lung or a pancreas, which is cancerated, the needle portion 111 is formed of a metal material having biocompatibility and excellent thermal conductivity, such as stainless steel. In the present embodiment, the cutting edge of the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 is cut so as to be sharpened such that the cutting edge surface becomes an inclined surface.

Since the heating needle 110 is inserted through the mouth of the patient P1 via the ultrasonic endoscope 1, the entire length of the needle portion 111 is approximately 2m, and the diameter of the needle portion 111 is formed to have a thickness of approximately 0.4mm to 1.2mm, preferably approximately 0.45 mm. The needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 has a hollow portion 112, and a heater 113 is disposed on the needle tip side in the hollow portion 112. The heater 113 is a continuous wire having a length of 10mm to 40mm and a thickness of 0.5mm or less, and has flexibility. The linear heater 113 is inserted into the hollow portion 112 of the needle portion 111 from the opening on the needle base side, and the linear heater 113 is disposed on the needle tip side for cauterizing the affected part.

In addition to the heater 113, a temperature detection element 114 such as a thermocouple or a peltier element is disposed in the hollow portion 112 to detect the temperature of the needle tip side of the needle portion 111, and the temperature of the needle portion 111 can be controlled by the control portion 116. For example, when a thermocouple is used as the temperature detection element 114, the thermocouple is disposed in the hollow portion 112 so as to be insulated from the heater 113 by an insulator such as a polyimide tube. One or more heaters 113 may be disposed in the hollow portion 112 of the needle portion 111.

The heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 may be arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110, or may be arranged side by side in the radial direction. In the case where the heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 are arranged side by side in the radial direction, the temperature detection element 114 can detect the temperature on the heater 113. The heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 are separated by a heat insulator or the like, whereby the temperature detection element 114 can be protected from the heat of the heater 113. The heater 113 may be disposed in a portion other than the distal end portion of the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 depending on the treatment purpose. The hollow portion 112 is closed with a biocompatible resin, metal, or the like at the tip of the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110.

In particular, in the present embodiment, since the heater 113 has a linear and flexible structure, the degree of freedom of the arrangement conditions of the heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 is increased. Therefore, by disposing the heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 close to each other in the longitudinal direction or the radial direction of the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110, the needle portion 111 having a reduced diameter can be easily heated to a desired temperature, and the affected part to be heated can be heated at an appropriate temperature according to the purpose of treatment.

A connection cord 117 connected to the heater 113 and the temperature detection element 114 is led out from the needle base side of the heating needle 110. A plug 118 for connection to the control unit 116 is provided at the tip of the connection cord 117. The needle base portion 115 provided on the proximal end side of the heating needle 110 is formed of a synthetic resin material such as polymethylpentene and polypropylene having electrical insulation and biocompatibility, or a metal material obtained by plating brass with Ni or the like. The needle base 115 is formed thick relative to the needle 111, and serves as a heating needle operation portion that facilitates the operation of removing the heating needle 110 from the treatment instrument insertion ports 25a and 25b (see fig. 3) of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 by a medical instrument such as a probe or a hand, and the needle base 115 is closed so as not to allow moisture to enter the hollow portion 112.

In the present embodiment, the heating needle 110 is configured as shown in fig. 1: the needle portion 111 is insertable into treatment instrument insertion channels 31a and 31b (see fig. 4) provided in the insertion portion 21 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1, and is insertable into and retractable from distal end openings 32a and 32b (see fig. 4) provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 21. The heating needle 110 can puncture a lesion part serving as an affected part through the insertion part 21 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 and heat the affected part. Therefore, since the treatment instrument insertion channels 31a and 31b (see fig. 4) of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 used in the ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method (EUS-FNA) are directly used to heat the cancer cells to be the lesion with the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110, only the cancer tissue to be the lesion can be reliably and accurately heated for treatment.

In the present embodiment, the heating needle 110 is configured to be able to change the length of the heater 113. Specifically, the length of the heater 113 is changed to 10mm, 20mm, or 30mm so as to correspond to the size, shape, or the like of the affected part, whereby the affected part to be heated can be heated at an appropriate temperature according to the purpose of treatment. In the present embodiment, as for the heating needle 110, heating needles having different lengths of, for example, 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, etc. of the heater 113 provided in the needle portion 111 are prepared, and the heating needle 110 having an appropriate length of the heater 113 is appropriately selected according to the size, shape, etc. of the lesion to be cauterized, and the heating needle 110 is connected to the control portion 116.

The control unit 116 is configured by a computer or the like including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and has a function of controlling the heater 113 to a predetermined temperature based on temperature data detected by the temperature detection element 114. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the control unit 116 includes a power supply unit 116a, a determination unit 116b, and an adjustment unit 116 c.

The power supply unit 116a has a function of controlling the current or the like supplied to the heater 113 so that the heater 113 generates heat to a desired temperature. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 116a has a function of supplying a weak test current for testing the on state to the heater 113 and a function of supplying a current for heating the heater 113 to a desired temperature.

The determination unit 116b has a function of determining whether or not various operations are possible when the heater 113 is heated to a desired temperature. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 116b has the following functions: determining an on state of conduction to the heater 113 when a test current is supplied to the heater 113, and confirming a length of the heater 113 based on data such as an abnormality such as a wire break occurring therein or a resistance value occurring when the test current is supplied; and determines the temperature of the heater 113 based on the temperature data detected by the temperature detection element 114.

The adjusting unit 116c has a function of adjusting the supply current for heating the heater 113 to a desired temperature to a desired level based on the determination result obtained by the determining unit 116 b. In the present embodiment, the adjusting unit 116c has a function of supplying a weak test current to the heater 113 or adjusting a current at the time of supplying a current to a desired magnitude based on temperature data detected by the temperature detecting element 114. In the present embodiment, in view of the risk of occurrence of electric leakage or the like, the maximum current supplied to the heater 113 is 1A in order to ensure safety of the human body.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 116 has the following functions: supplying a weak test current for testing the on state to the heater 113; confirming the length of the heater 113 when the test current is supplied; and controls to supply a current of a prescribed magnitude according to the length of the heater 113. Therefore, by supplying an electric current of an appropriate magnitude according to the length of the heater 113, the heater 113 can be reliably heated to a desired temperature.

In particular, in the present embodiment, in order to achieve a low-invasive heat cauterization therapy for a patient by heating a lesion to a desired temperature necessary for killing cancer tissue, the control unit 116 controls the heater 113 to supply current such that the temperature of the heater 113 becomes 45 ℃ or higher and 99 ℃ or lower. That is, in the present embodiment, as a temperature range in which the therapeutic effect by the low-invasive heat cauterization therapy can be expected and the local boiling is not caused, the control unit 116 supplies the current to the heater 113 and performs the temperature control so that the temperature of the heater 113 becomes 45 ℃ or more and 99 ℃ or less.

Cancer cells are less heat resistant than healthy cells, and therefore do not require heating at such high temperatures. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the heating needle 110 can kill cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells by controlling the heater 113 to, for example, about 60 ℃ so as to apply heat for irreversibly thermally denaturing proteins to cancer cells.

In addition, as in the present embodiment, when the temperature detection element 114 is provided in the needle portion 111, the temperature detection element 114 supplies temperature data to the control portion 116, and the control portion 116 controls the heater 113 so that the heating temperature is constant. For example, even if there is a partial temperature loss due to blood flow at the position where the heating needle 110 is punctured or inserted, the temperature of the heater 113 of each heating needle 110 can be adjusted, and thus the entire affected area can be heated to a desired temperature. Further, a timer may be built in the control unit 116, so that the following control can be performed: when the preset heating cauterization time is reached, the heater 113 is turned off.

In the present embodiment, the test current and the current supplied from the control unit 116 to the heater 113 are preferably direct currents in order to suppress generation of laser light, high frequency, electromagnetic waves, or the like by heating of the heater 113 and suppress adverse effects on healthy tissue around cancer tissue. However, the test current, the current, or the like may be an alternating current as long as the current is supplied in a range in which generation of laser light, high frequency, electromagnetic waves, or the like can be suppressed.

The exchange of the control data of the heater 113 and the temperature data of the heater 113 between the heating needle 110 and the control unit 116 may be performed by a wired method as described above, or may be performed by a wireless method. The power supply to the heater 113 may be supplied from the control unit 116 by a wire, or may be supplied from a primary battery or a secondary battery provided in the heating needle 110.

When performing an operation using the endoscopic cancer therapy system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, first, a lesion portion in a living body to be punctured, which is a cancerous lung, pancreas, or the like, is specifically observed by the ultrasonic endoscope 1, and a puncture path, a heating cauterization temperature of the affected portion, a heating cauterization time, or the like is determined. Next, the heating needle 110 is connected to a medical instrument such as a probe, and the plug 118 of the connection cord 117 led out from the needle base portion 115 of the heating needle 110 is connected to the control portion 116. Thereafter, the needle tip is punctured or inserted into the identified affected area while confirming the needle tip echo of the ultrasonic image of the heating needle 110, the direction and depth of the puncture needle under fluoroscopy and CT guidance.

Then, the controller 116 is operated to heat the heater 113 to a predetermined heating cauterization temperature, thereby heating the needle tip portion of the heating needle 110 to cauterize the affected part for a predetermined time. At this time, the control unit 116 can control the heater 113 of the heating needle 110 based on the temperature data fed back from the temperature detection element 114. Therefore, even if there is a partial temperature loss due to blood flow at the position where the heating needle 110 is punctured or inserted, for example, the entire affected area can be heated to a desired temperature. In this way, the heating needle 110 can cauterize an affected part only by puncturing or inserting the affected part in a deep part of a living body, and thus can realize a low-invasive heat cauterization treatment for a patient.

When the heat cauterization treatment of the affected part is completed, the heating needle 110 may be directly pulled out from the affected part to terminate the treatment, but the treatment may be performed by a drug therapy, an immunotherapy, or the like in order to continuously supply a drug after the heat cauterization. In this way, by directly injecting a drug into the affected part after the heat cauterization, effective treatment can be performed, and particularly effective for recurrent cancer and the like. In addition, as the drug to be injected, various drugs can be used according to the treatment policy of the patient, and for example, an anticancer agent or the like may be used. The heating needle 110 of the present embodiment can be used to continuously perform cauterization of an affected part and direct injection of a drug into the cauterized affected part, thereby achieving a less invasive treatment for the patient.

As described above, the endoscopic cancer therapy system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention punctures or inserts the heating needle 110 having the heater 113 built therein into the living body to reach the affected part, and then heats the heater 113 to a predetermined temperature to heat and cauterize the affected part. Therefore, it is only necessary to puncture or insert the heating needle 110 so as to reach the affected part without performing an open surgery or the like, and therefore, low invasiveness can be achieved. In addition, there is no risk of radiation, as in radiotherapy, causing pain or paralysis to the patient, as in radio wave therapy, and no damage to surrounding tissue.

Further, since the temperature detection element 114 is incorporated in the heating needle 110 to feed back temperature data to the control unit 116, more detailed temperature control of the heater 113 can be performed. In particular, in the endoscopic cancer treatment system 100 according to the present embodiment, when a sample is extracted by the ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method in the treatment of an internal cancer such as pancreatic cancer, the position of a cancerous tissue that is to be a lesion is confirmed, and then the heating needle is punctured into the cancerous tissue, so that only the cancerous tissue can be heated accurately and more reliably and treatment can be performed. The endoscopic cancer therapy system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used for the treatment of various cancers such as the pancreatic cancer, uterine cancer other than the lung cancer, and renal cancer. In addition, the present invention can also be used for heat treatment of an affected part of a companion animal such as a dog or a cat other than a human.

Next, an ultrasonic endoscope used in an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a distal end of the ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a puncture needle in the ultrasonic endoscope of fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the operation of specimen extraction by the ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method using the ultrasonic endoscope used in the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, an ultrasonic endoscope 1 used in an endoscopic cancer treatment system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an insertion portion 21 inserted into the body; an operation portion 22 located at the base end of the insertion portion 21; a universal cord 23 extending from a side portion of the operation portion 22; and a light source cable 24 extending from a middle portion of the universal cord 23. When a sample is to be extracted by the ultrasonic endoscopic piercing/suction method, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 inserts the puncture needle 5 from the treatment instrument insertion ports 25a and 25b (the treatment instrument insertion port 25b is not shown) provided on the distal end side of the operation portion 22, and extracts a sample of a lesion portion by the puncture needle 5.

The insertion portion 21 is provided with a distal end hard portion 21a, a bent portion 21b, and a flexible tube portion 21c in this order from the distal end side. The bending portion 21b is configured to be actively bent in the vertical and horizontal directions by operating the bending operation knobs 26a and 26b of the operation portion 22, for example. The flexible tube portion 21c has flexibility.

An ultrasonic connector 23a is provided at the base end of the universal cord 23, and the ultrasonic connector 23a is attachable to and detachable from an ultrasonic observation device, not shown. An endoscope connector 24a is provided at a proximal end portion of the light source cable 24, and the endoscope connector 24a is attachable to and detachable from a light source device and an image processing device, not shown.

Treatment instrument insertion ports 25a and 25b are provided on the distal end side of the operation portion 22 (the treatment instrument insertion port 25b is not shown). The treatment instrument insertion ports 25a and 25b communicate with treatment instrument insertion passages 31a and 31b (see fig. 4) provided in the insertion portion 21, respectively. The treatment instrument insertion port 25a includes a ferrule, and a fixing ring 55 provided on the handle portion 51 of the puncture needle 5 and the like is connected to the ferrule. The fixing ring 55 can be mounted and dismounted with respect to the cartridge. The needle tube 54 of the puncture needle 5 is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31a through the treatment instrument insertion port 25 a. Further, another treatment instrument such as the heating needle 110 or the ultrasonic probe can be inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31b through the treatment instrument insertion port 25 b.

As shown in fig. 4, the treatment instrument insertion channels 31a and 31b have distal end openings 32a and 32b, respectively, on the distal end surface 21d of the distal end hard portion 21 a. The treatment instrument insertion channel 31a is disposed such that the central axis near the distal end opening 32a substantially coincides with the ultrasound scanning surface formed by the ultrasound transducer 30, and a treatment instrument for performing a treatment such as puncturing can be inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 a. The distal end hard portion 21a is provided with an objective optical system 35 and an illumination optical system 36 on the distal end surface 21 d.

An electronic scanning type ultrasonic transducer 30 is disposed on the distal end side of the distal end hard portion 21 a. The ultrasonic transducer 30 is, for example, a convex array, and is configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic modules inside. The ultrasonic endoscope 1 obtains an echo signal by switching the ultrasonic modules and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic transducer 30. The echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer 30 is transmitted to an ultrasonic observation device, not shown, via the ultrasonic connector 23 a. Then, an ultrasonic image (line image) having a cross section parallel to the insertion axis of the insertion portion 21 is obtained based on the echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer 30.

In the present embodiment, no structure that greatly protrudes from the distal end surface 21d is provided between the distal end openings 32a and 32 b. Therefore, when the needle tube 54 is projected from the distal end opening 32a after the puncture needle 5 is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31a, and when the other treatment instrument such as the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31b and the ultrasonic transducer provided at the distal end of the ultrasonic probe is projected from the distal end opening 32b, the needle tube 54 can be drawn by the ultrasonic probe. In the present embodiment, the treatment instrument insertion channels 31a and 31b and the distal end openings 32a and 32b are provided in two in the insertion portion 21 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1, respectively, but the number of them is not limited to two, and may be one, or may be three or more.

In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 30 has a protruding portion 33 protruding from the distal end hard portion 21 a. The protruding portion 33 is provided at a position other than a line that linearly connects the distal end openings 32a and 32 b. In addition, in order to facilitate ultrasonic observation of the protruding portion 33, ultrasonic reflection processing may be performed on the surface of the protruding portion 33. For example, as the ultrasonic reflection processing, there may be considered unevenness processing such as sand blasting, pearskin surface processing, and dimpling, coating processing of applying a resin containing bubbles or metal powder, and the like.

As shown in fig. 5, the puncture needle 5 includes a handle portion 51 and a channel insertion portion 52, and the channel insertion portion 52 includes a sheath 53 and a needle tube 54. The passage insertion portion 52 is constituted by: can be inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31a from the treatment instrument insertion port 25a and can protrude from the distal end opening portion 32a (see fig. 4).

For example, the handle portion 51 is configured by arranging a fixed ring 55, an adjuster knob 56, a needle adjuster 57, a needle slider 58, a suction tube head 59, and a stylet tube head 60 in this order from the distal end side. The needle tube 54 is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat through the sheath 53. The needle tube 54 is formed of a metal tube such as a stainless steel tube or a nickel titanium tube. A sharp blade is formed at the tip of the needle tube 54.

A stylet 90 or a stylet 90a inserted into the needle tube 54 is connected to the stylet head 60, and the stylet head 60 is connected to the suction head 59. The proximal end of the needle tube 54 is integrally fixed to the suction tube head 59 by bonding or the like. The needle adjuster 57 is slidably secured or unsecured by the adjuster knob 56. The needle slider 58 can be slid by releasing the adjuster knob 56 to release the needle adjuster 57 from being fixed. In addition, the protruding length of the needle tube 54 protruding from the tip of the sheath 53 is adjusted by appropriately adjusting the distance between the needle slider 58 and the fixing position of the needle adjustor 57.

By using the ultrasonic endoscope 1 and the puncture needle 5, a specimen is extracted by a puncture suction method under the ultrasonic endoscope. Specifically, in the ultrasonic endoscopic aspiration method, as shown in fig. 6, for a digestive tract or the like in which a usual endoscopic biopsy or a biopsy by percutaneous aspiration is difficult such as pancreas O2, ultrasound is emitted from an ultrasonic transducer 30 provided on the distal end side of an insertion portion 21, and the pancreas O2 is observed through a stomach O1. Then, in order to confirm the canceration of the lesion C1 of the pancreas O2, the needle tube 54 is punctured from the stomach O1 toward the lesion C1 of the pancreas O2, and the cancer cells and tissues of the lesion C1 are extracted by suction through the needle tube 54.

Next, the operation of cancer treatment by the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7(a) to (C) are explanatory views of the operation of cancer therapy by the endoscopic cancer therapy system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The endoscopic cancer treatment system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to be able to reliably cauterize only a cancer tissue by fixedly disposing the heating needle 110 in the cancer tissue of a lesion to be a target of specimen extraction by using the ultrasonic endoscope used when the specimen is extracted by the ultrasonic endoscopic piercing suction method.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 7 a, ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 30 provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 21 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 (see fig. 1), and the pancreas O2 is observed through the stomach O1. Then, if the lesion C1 suspected of being cancerous is found in the pancreas O2, the needle tube 54 of the puncture needle 5 is projected from the distal end opening 32a provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 21 as shown in fig. 7(B), and then the needle tube 54 is punctured from the stomach O1 toward the tissue suspected of being cancerous in the lesion C1 of the pancreas O2. Then, the needle tube 54 sucks and extracts the cancer cells and tissues of the lesion C1.

When the tissue extracted by suction is confirmed to be malignant (cancer), as shown in fig. 7B, the needle tube 54 of the puncture needle 5 may be punctured into the lesion C1, the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 may be inserted into the lesion C1, the needle portion 111 may be confirmed to have reached the lesion C1, the needle tube 54 may be retracted to fix the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 to the lesion C1, and the heater 113 of the heating needle 110 may be controlled to be heated to a desired temperature.

As shown in fig. 7C, after the needle tube 54 of the puncture needle 5 inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 31a (see fig. 4) is retracted from the distal end opening 32a of the insertion portion 21 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1, the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 inserted into the other treatment instrument insertion channel 31b (see fig. 4) may be inserted into the lesion C1 from the other distal end opening 32b of the insertion portion 21, and the heater 113 of the heating needle 110 may be controlled so as to be heated to a desired temperature.

As described above, the endoscopic cancer treatment system 100 according to the present embodiment can perform treatment by accurately heating the cancer cells with the heater 113 having a desired length and temperature by the needle portion 111 of the heating needle 110 after confirming the position and size of the cancer tissue to be the lesion portion C1 when extracting a specimen by the ultrasonic endoscopic piercing and suction method.

As described above, when an endoscopic cancer treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to treat an internal cancer such as pancreatic cancer, it is possible to confirm the position and size of a cancerous tissue to be a lesion and then insert a heating needle into the cancerous tissue when a sample is extracted by an ultrasonic endoscopic puncture suction method. Therefore, after the position and size of the cancer tissue to be a lesion are confirmed, a heating needle having a more accurate length of the heater is selected for the cancer tissue and heated to a desired temperature. Thus, only the cancer tissue can be precisely heated at a desired temperature to perform the treatment more reliably, and thus a heat cauterization therapy which is less invasive to the patient can be achieved.

Further, by applying the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform treatment by confirming the position and size of a cancer tissue to be a lesion and then accurately heating the cancer tissue to an appropriate temperature using a heating needle with certainty when extracting a specimen by the ultrasonic endoscopic aspiration method for a digestive tract such as pancreas O2, which is difficult to perform a normal endoscopic biopsy or a biopsy by percutaneous aspiration. In particular, the pancreas is different from other organs such as the liver, and the cell tissues constituting the organs of the pancreas do not have a regeneration function, and therefore, it is necessary to avoid damage due to excessive heating. Therefore, the endoscopic cancer treatment system according to the present embodiment can more reliably heat only the cancer tissue to be the lesion portion to a desired temperature and perform the treatment, and therefore, can be suitably applied as an endoscopic pancreatic cancer treatment system, and therefore has a great industrial value.

Further, although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail as above, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications can be made without substantially departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the specification or the drawings, a term described at least once together with a different term having a broader meaning or a same meaning may be replaced with the different term anywhere in the specification or the drawings. The configuration and operation of the endoscopic cancer treatment system are not limited to those described in one embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications can be made.

Description of the reference numerals

1: an ultrasonic endoscope; 5: puncturing needle; 21: an insertion portion; 22: an operation section; 31a, 31 b: a treatment instrument through channel; 32a, 32 b: a top end opening part; 100: an endoscopic cancer treatment system; 110: a heating pin; 111: a needle portion; 112: a hollow part; 113: a heater; 114: a temperature detection element; 115: a needle base; 116: a control unit; 116 a: a power supply unit; 116 b: a determination unit; 116 c: an adjustment part; 117: connecting a flexible wire; 118: and (4) a plug.