Listen to this articleLake Success-based Northwell Health Cancer Institute is investing $1.2 million to develop a program to treat some liver cancer tumors without surgery. The treatment uses targeted ultrasound beams to create microbubbles within tumors, disrupting and destroying diseased cells without the need for incisions, the health system said.
Northwell is developing a histotripsy center, to offer the non-surgical approach where appropriate. The health system is also part of a multisite clinical trial to assess the histotripsy sound wave therapy to destroy cancerous kidney tumors.
Meanwhile, in treating some liver cancer tumors, the non-invasive program offers “quicker recovery times and fewer side effects than conventional surgery,” Dr. Matthew Weiss, deputy physician-in-chief and surgical director at the Northwell Cancer Institute, said in a news release about the program.
“The procedure is done outside the body using a robotic platform that uses image-guided sonic beam therapy to focus on one specific area of a patient’s body,” Weiss added. “This targeted ultrasound treatment can essentially destroy tumors in difficult to reach locations.”
A multidisciplinary histotripsy program is slated to open in early 2025.
Currently, histotripsy technology is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to only treat tumors in the liver. HistoSonics, based in Minneapolis, MN, created the Edison System for the non-invasive mechanical destruction of liver tumors, including the partial or complete destruction of unresectable liver tumors via histotripsy.
Earlier this year, HistoSonics announced the start of enrollment in its #HOPE4KIDNEY clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of histotripsy technology to treat kidney lesions. Northwell is participating in the multi-center trial that will enroll up to 68 patients in the United States. The Edison System is provided to hospitals enrolled during the trial period.
“We are very motivated to play a part in studying this pioneering non-invasive technology for patients with kidney cancer,” Dr. Arun Rai, director of surgical innovation at the Smith Institute for Urology at Northwell Health, said in the news release. “Along with the Northwell Cancer Institute, we are committed to increasing access to clinical trials for the diverse patients we serve on Long Island and in surrounding communities.”
Kidney cancer is the 10th most prevalent cancer in the U.S. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 81,600 people will have been diagnosed with the disease in 2024.
“Through the #HOPE4KIDNEY trial, our team has used the histotripsy treatment modality for six patients to date with certain types of renal tumors,” Rai said. “The procedures were performed at Long Island Jewish Medical Center on an outpatient basis.”
