Liver cancer, a rising global health concern with over 800,000 diagnoses and 700,000 deaths annually, now has a new FDA-approved treatment option. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are utilizing histotripsy, a non-invasive ultrasound technology, to target and eliminate liver tumors, offering a potentially less invasive alternative to traditional methods.
How Histotripsy Works
Histotripsy employs ultrasonic pulse waves to induce cavitation, creating microbubbles that exert frictional force on cancer cells, leading to their destruction. Dr. David Kwon at Cleveland Clinic explains, "Histotripsy's an ultrasonic-based energy device... it is those microbubbles that causes frictional force through the cells and the cells die."
Advantages Over Traditional Treatments
Traditional liver cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, often involve significant side effects and extended recovery periods. Histotripsy offers a quicker procedure, typically lasting about an hour, and patients often experience faster discharge times and reduced reliance on opioids for pain management.
Clinical Implications and the Abscopal Effect
While long-term benefits are still under investigation, early results indicate that histotripsy may trigger an immune response known as the Abscopal Effect in some patients. This immune boost could potentially offer additional benefits beyond the direct destruction of tumor cells. Experts are optimistic that non-invasive ultrasound therapy could soon become a standard treatment for some liver tumors.
