Histotripsy: Pioneering New Cancer Therapy
- Editor OGN Daily
- 20 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Doctors say that a new procedure that uses ultrasound to destroy tumours is “a major and exciting step forward in cancer treatment."
Roger Jackson, 80, is the first patient in Europe to receive the treatment for his liver cancer. “I feel privileged,” he said. “It’s impressive to think that sound waves can treat cancer, without the need for patients like me to go through intensive surgery, at what already is a stressful time.”
The treatment, known as histotripsy, uses sound waves to create microscopic bubbles from gases present in tumour tissues. The bubbles form and collapse in microseconds, destroying cancer cells without the need for surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The treatment can take just 30 minutes.
Jackson was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, which is currently the only hospital in England offering the therapy.
“Histotripsy represents a hugely exciting and new era of cancer innovation and care,” said the hospital’s CEO. “With faster recovery times … this not only reduces the strain on our hospital beds, but also frees up surgeons to focus on the more complex cancer cases.”
Studies are underway to explore histotripsy’s effectiveness on other cancer types.