NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center at The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in New Orleans is now offering histotripsy, a non-invasive treatment option for eligible patients with certain liver tumors.
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. The treatment can be used for primary liver tumors that originate in the liver as well as metastatic tumors that have spread to the liver from other cancers. The procedure uses image-guided sonic beam therapy and advanced imaging technology to target tumors without incisions. Histotripsy may be an option for patients who are not candidates for surgery or other standard treatments.
“At Ochsner MD Anderson, we are expanding the range of treatment options available to patients with liver tumors,” said Zoe Larned, MD, medical director of Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Histotripsy offers a non-invasive approach for tumors that can be difficult to treat surgically and may be used in combination with systemic therapies.”
How Histotripsy Works
Eligibility is determined by a physician based on factors including the number, size and location of tumors. The histotripsy procedure does not use ionizing radiation, thermal energy or surgical incisions.
- During the procedure, high-intensity ultrasound waves are directed at the liver tumor.
- These ultrasound waves create microbubbles, or small air pockets, within the tumor tissue.
- As the microbubbles rapidly form and collapse, they generate mechanical forces that break down targeted tumor cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
- Most patients undergo a single treatment session, with many able to return home the same day and resume normal activities.
The use of histotripsy has been studied for more than two decades in clinical trials. Recent studies in Europe and the United States have demonstrated its use in destroying primary and metastatic liver tumors in humans, contributing to FDA approval for these indications. Additional applications are being evaluated through ongoing clinical trials. Ochsner MD Anderson is among a limited number of hospitals in the U.S. currently offering the treatment…