Needle treatment reduces foetal lung abnormality
A peer-reviewed case report from China points to a possible prenatal application, but not a proven treatment.
Doctors from Shenzhen and Hong Kong have used a needle and microwave energy to treat a large lung abnormality in a foetus. It concerns a single case described in a peer-reviewed publication, not a proven therapy for pregnant women generally.
According to the title and supplementary information from the journal, the publication concerns a large microcystic congenital pulmonary airway malformation, or CPAM for short. This is a developmental abnormality of the lung that can be identified during pregnancy. The term “tumour” used in some reporting is therefore too broad and may give the impression that it involved cancer.
The procedure was carried out by a team from Shenzhen Baoan Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Microwave energy was directed at the abnormality through a needle. That energy heats the target tissue, which may reduce the size of the lung abnormality.
The study was published online on 20 August in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The publication is listed as a letter to the editor and, according to the publisher’s page, contains no abstract. The journal does, however, mention supporting video material about a treatment at 22 weeks’ gestation.
That makes the scientific status limited but verifiable: the research is peer-reviewed, but concerns an individual case. There are no data on a large patient group, no comparison with other treatments and no evidence that the technique would produce the same outcome in other hospitals.
Prenatal lung abnormalities are not all treated in the same way. The choice depends, among other things, on the size of the abnormality, the development of the foetus, possible pressure on other organs and the health of the pregnant woman. A technique used in one complex case therefore cannot be directly translated into general pregnancy care.
The publication is mainly relevant as a signal of a possible expansion of foetal therapy. More cases, independent assessment and longer follow-up are needed to judge safety, long-term development and applicability. The available sources do not yet provide sufficient information for that.
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The technical core has been confirmed by the peer-reviewed publication page. The original reporting referred to a lung tumour; this has been corrected to CPAM, a developmental abnormality of the lung, and the treatment has not been presented as a proven therapy.
- confirmed The publication describes microwave ablation of a large microcystic CPAM in a foetus. — This is stated in the title and supporting material of the Wiley publication. source
- confirmed The publication appeared on 20 August 2026 and is peer-reviewed. — The publisher’s page gives the publication date; the source is presented as a journal publication. source
- confirmed The research concerns a single case and provides no evidence of general efficacy. — The publication is a letter to the editor without a patient group or comparative study in the information consulted. source
- incorrect It involved a lung tumour in the foetus. — The peer-reviewed publication refers to a congenital pulmonary airway malformation, not a confirmed tumour. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Doctors reduced a lung tumour in an unborn baby.Now: Doctors used microwave energy to treat a large congenital lung abnormality in a foetus. (The scientific publication describes CPAM, not a confirmed lung tumour; the wording has therefore been medically refined.)
Editor's note
The peer-reviewed publication confirms the treatment of a CPAM case and the use of microwave ablation. The available sources do not provide a full clinical outcome or long-term follow-up; the text is therefore cautious about efficacy.Sources
- Microwave ablation for giant fetal microcystic congenital pulmonary airway malformation — Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology / Wiley
- Chinese doctors shrink lung tumour for baby still in mother’s womb, using needle — South China Morning Post
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „foetus prenatale zorg”
- De Telegraaf — „foetus prenatale zorg”
- AD — „foetus prenatale zorg”