Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center at The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in New Orleans is now offering histotripsy treatment, an advancement for treating liver tumors, for eligible patients with certain liver diseases.
Histotripsy is a non-invasive treatment, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023, that uses ultrasound energy to destroy liver tumors in a single outpatient procedure. This includes primary liver tumors originating in the liver, or metastasized tumors resulting from another cancer spreading to the liver. A machine with image guided sonic beam therapy uses proprietary technology and advanced imaging to deliver non-invasive, personalized histotripsy treatments with exceptional precision and control. Histotripsy is a new option for patients with liver tumors who may not be a candidate for surgery or other traditional therapies.
How histotripsy works
Eligibility is carefully determined by a physician considering several factors such as the number, size, and location of tumors. The histotripsy procedure avoids the ionizing energy of radiation, heat damage from thermal technologies, and incisions or needles from traditional treatments.
During a histotripsy procedure, high intensity ultrasound waves are directed at the liver tumor.
These ultrasound waves create tiny microbubbles, or air pockets, inside the tumor tissue.
As the microbubbles rapidly form and collapse due to the high intensity ultrasound waves, they produce a force and a “bubble cloud” that breaks down and destroys the targeted tumor cells, all without harming nearby healthy tissue.
Most patients benefit from single-session therapy, with many able to return home the same day and quickly resume normal activities.
The effectiveness of histotripsy has been studied for more than two decades in clinical trials. In recent studies conducted in Europe and the United States, histotripsy has been used successfully in humans to destroy primary and metastatic liver tumors, leading to its FDA approval for these indications. Other future potential uses are expected for this innovative technology, with results from ongoing clinical trials. Currently, Ochsner MD Anderson is one of only a select number of hospitals in the U.S offering this treatment.