Advanced Histotripsy Treatment at Catholic Health

At Catholic Health, our cancer care team is committed to providing the most advanced, innovative treatments to help our patients achieve the best possible outcomes.

Histotripsy is a groundbreaking procedure that effectively harnesses sound to break up cancerous masses. This non-invasive treatment uses focused ultrasound to mechanically destroy targeted liver tumor tissue—without surgical incisions, needles, radiation or heat.

For advanced care for liver cancer, histotripsy treatment is now available at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center. 

What is Histotripsy?

Bubble Cloud

As an advanced treatment for liver cancer, histotripsy destroys tumors without using heat, X-rays or drugs. Instead, it harnesses the energy that sound waves produce to destroy cancer cells.

This non-invasive treatment uses short, high-energy sound pulses to create a controlled “bubble cloud” inside targeted tissue. These bubbles rapidly expand and collapse, mechanically destroying and liquefying the cancerous tissue within the designated treatment area.

This precisely targeted treatment for liver tumors selectively destroys cancerous cells while preserving bile ducts, blood vessels and healthy tissue.

Physicians use real-time ultrasound imaging to plan, guide and monitor treatment precisely.

Who is a Candidate for Histotripsy Treatment?

Histotripsy may be an option for patients whose cancer has not responded fully to standard systemic therapies. It may be an effective treatment for patients with certain liver tumors, including:

  • Primary tumors that begin in the liver
  • Metastatic tumors that have spread to the liver from another part of the body
  • Certain liver tumors that cannot be removed surgically

Histotripsy may not be appropriate for every patient. Eligibility depends on the size of the tumor, the location and visibility on ultrasound, as well as the individual patient’s liver function, overall health and treatment plan.

Research is currently in progress to determine if histotripsy may be an effective form of treatment for other types of cancer.

Histotripsy candidate

Benefits of Histotripsy Treatment

Benefits of Histotripsy

We use the Edison® Histotripsy System to precisely direct focused sound pulses toward the tumor. This precise treatment is guided by real-time imaging to ensure surrounding, healthy tissue is unharmed. This noninvasive treatment offers several potential benefits, including:

  • No surgical incisions or needles are used – reducing the risk of infection and bleeding
  • Minimal side effects: only mild discomfort or bruising at the treatment site
  • No ionizing radiation that may cause burns
  • No heat is used to destroy targeted tissue
  • Minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissue
  • May help preserve nearby blood vessels and bile ducts

This advanced therapy also offers a shorter recovery than more invasive procedures.

How Histotripsy Can Work for You

Our team of radiation oncologists and surgeons collaborates using ultrasound imaging to visualize and precisely target tumors, allowing them to destroy the diseased tissue while protecting surrounding healthy cells. Every patient receives a customized treatment plan tailored specifically to their unique medical condition.

Before treatment, your care team will review your medical history and imaging and perform the essential clinical evaluations to determine whether histotripsy is appropriate for you. 

Your physician will use diagnostic imaging and real-time ultrasound to identify the liver tumor and evaluate the surrounding anatomy. Your treatment team will define the size, shape and location of the treatment area. Depending on your condition and treatment plan, multiple treatment sessions may be necessary.

The target area is identified using ultrasound to ensure that the ultrasound waves are accurately directed to the cancerous tissue, to minimize the impact on surrounding healthy tissue.

Once the target area is confirmed, the physician uses the Edison® Histotripsy System to precisely direct focused sound pulses toward the tumor. The physician monitors the procedure with real-time ultrasound as the targeted area is treated.

After treatment, you will be monitored by your care team and receive instructions regarding recovery, follow-up imaging and returning to normal activities.

Is Histotripsy Right for You?

Histotripsy may be considered as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment plan.

A multidisciplinary evaluation will be performed to determine whether it may benefit your individual condition. The cancer experts at Catholic Health will review your diagnosis, imaging, tumor characteristics, previous treatments and overall health before making a recommendation for histotripsy treatment.

Our specialists work together to evaluate each patient and develop a personalized treatment plan that may include histotripsy and other appropriate therapies. 

Learn More

For more information about histotripsy treatments, call 844-86-CANCER.

Histotripsy Treatment Locations

Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital

The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital

East Hills, NY