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.
Patients with liver tumors at Ochsner MD Anderson receive coordinated care through a multidisciplinary team that may include interventional radiologists, image-guided therapy specialists, hepatologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists. Care plans are developed collaboratively to determine appropriate treatment approaches for each patient.
Cancer Care to the Community
Ochsner MD Anderson conducts cancer research and offers access to select clinical trials, including Louisiana’s only Phase I clinical trial program. Patient care services also include support resources focused on addressing a range of physical and supportive care needs.
For more than 80 years, Ochsner has been involved in cancer research and the development of new cancer therapies and conducts more clinical trials than any other provider in Louisiana.
Ochsner is accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Radiology, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (Bone Marrow Transplant) and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. Cancer care at Ochsner has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report, which has ranked the system as high performing in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma treatment and in colon, lung and prostate cancer surgeries.
