A new treatment that uses ultrasound to break down liver tumours will soon be available at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge.
What is the new treatment?
Up until now, if doctors wanted to remove a liver tumour they would have to do a big operation.
Your liver is surrounded by lots of other important organs and has a lot of blood flowing through it. So getting to it and removing a tumour can be very risky.
Other treatment options include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But these can come with risks and side effects. And may need lots of treatments over a long period of time. Unfortunately many people only find out they have liver cancer when they are already very unwell. So they may not be able to have some of these treatments.
Types of treatment for liver cancer
The new treatment is called histotripsy. It uses a special type of ultrasound to kill liver cancer tumours. Histotripsy offers a safer and quicker way to get rid of liver tumours. It does not involve any cutting, radiation, heat or chemicals.
Who could it help?
Histotripsy can be used to treat cancers that start in the liver (primary liver cancer). And cancer that has spread to the liver from somewhere else (secondary liver cancer).
It offers quicker treatment and recovery times than current options. In trials histotripsy could be done in one session. This could take less than 30 minutes. Patients had little or no pain and were able to go home the same day.
The treatment could also be an option for people who cannot have some of the current treatments. For example if they are too unwell to risk surgery.
Roland Sinker, Chief Executive of Cambridge University Hospitals said:
The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time.
We are delighted to be receiving this new state of the art machine.
How does histotripsy work?
The treatment uses a special type of ultrasound. It sends sound waves through the skin to the exact spot where the liver tumour is. This causes clouds of tiny gas bubbles to form in the tumour. These bubbles come up and then collapse very quickly. This breaks apart and kills the tumour cells.
The result is that the tumour cells are turned into a harmless liquid. The body’s normal waste systems will clear this away.
The treatment is given using a specially designed robot arm. This moves above the patient’s body and is programmed to send the sound waves very precisely to the tumour. Avoiding damage to other parts of the body.
Where and when is the treatment being offered?
The treatment was tested at sites across the world, including some in the UK. Since the trial more than 1,500 people have had the treatment. Mostly in the USA.
But thanks to a large donation to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge, the treatment will be available there later this year. This will be the first time it has been used in the UK or Europe for people who are not part of the trial.
The Addenbrooke’s team will start by treating liver cancer with histotripsy. But they hope that over time it could also be used for other hard to reach tumours.
If you would like to find out more about treatment options for liver cancer you can talk to your liver medical team.
Fiona Carey, cancer patient and Co-chair of the Patient Advisory Group for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, said:
This is seriously good news. A new, non-invasive option to treat these cancers is very welcome indeed.
For patients for whom ordinary surgery is no longer an option, this could make all the difference