In the treatment of cancer, everything from surgery to radiotherapy and chemotherapy is used. But there is also a technique in which cancerous tumors can be eliminated without surgery. In medical language this is called histotripsy. In this, the tumor is destroyed using ultrasound technology. The special thing is that neither any dissection nor any other therapy is used in it.
In the year 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration will use this technology for liver tumor treatment There was approval for. Since then it is being used in many countries including America. In this process, a special machine sends high-intensity sound waves directly to the tumor and this causes the tumor to shrink and disappear. The special thing is that this technique does not have any major side effects.
How does histotripsy technique work?
In this technique, the waves sent on cancer cells break the tumor and small gas bubbles start forming in it. Due to this, the tumor gradually breaks down and becomes liquid like water and then it is easily removed from the body. Histotripsy can be used mainly in the treatment of liver cancer, although this technique is more effective only in patients whose tumors are smaller than 4 cm. In this procedure the patient is made unconscious. Doctors see the exact location of tumors with the help of ultrasound and then eliminate them with ultrasound waves.
Is it effective for every cancer patient?
Dr. Rohit Kapoor in the Oncology Department at Max Hospital says that this technology is not for everyone nor is it used on a large scale. This technology got approval only a few years ago and research on it is going on. Although initial results show it to be safe and effective, it is still not being used on a large scale. One reason is that it has been shown to be effective only on liver cancer patients. In such a situation, surgery, chemo and radiotherapy are still considered to be the main treatment for liver cancer, but for patients for whom operation is not possible, histotripsy can emerge as a better option.