A machine that uses histotripsy, a technique that uses sound waves to break down tumors, has been approved to treat liver tumors by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The technique, called histotripsy, generates exploding bubbles to kill tumors. . READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE - Tragic young victims of theA promising cancer treatment that blasts tumors using soundwaves has been approved in the US.The forces generated as the bubbles expand and collapse rapidly cause the cancerous mass to break apart, destroying tumor cells and leaving the debris to be eliminated by the immune system.
HistoSonics can now sell its histotripsy delivery platform, named Edison, to hospitals and doctors to use in patients. It costs $12,500 per procedure. The machine's software then calculates how much energy is needed to create a powerful enough bubble cloud to kill the tumor, with focused ultrasound waves converging at a focal point in its center.
A second study showed the sound waves also break down the cancer cell wall's 'cloak,' revealing proteins the immune system can use to recognize threats. Zhen Xu, University of Michigan professor of biomedical engineering, inventor of the histotripsy approach and a co-founder of HistoSonics, said: 'We want to leverage histotripsy’s immuno stimulation effects and hopefully combine them with immunotherapy or drug delivery.
The machine has only been approved for use in liver cancer patients, and its limited availability and high price tag may make doctors prescribing it to patients prohibitive.
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