NHS to use scalpel-free ultrasound treatment to target tumours

NHS patients will be the first in Europe to benefit from a groundbreaking cancer treatment that destroys tumours using sound.

The technique, known as histotripsy, avoids the scalpel incisions used in conventional surgery and involves no radiation or chemotherapy.

Instead, a machine uses ultrasound waves to create a tightly focused cluster of bubbles from gases naturally present in the targeted tissue. The bubbles form and collapse in microseconds, tearing apart cancer cells.

Pulsed sound waves create “bubble clouds” from gases in tumours that destroy cancerous tissue without the need for surgery

HISTOSONICS

Trials have indicated that the technique can destroy tumours while leaving surrounding organs undamaged, allowing faster recovery times and fewer side effects.

Described by regulators as a “major step forward”, the therapy will initially be offered to patients with primary or secondary liver tumours at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where patients will receive the treatment as part of routine NHS care.

It will be delivered in a single outpatient session lasting as little as 30 minutes. “It’s like you’re having an ultrasound scan — it’s not at all invasive,” said Dr Teik Choon See, a consultant interventional radiologist at Addenbrooke’s, who will be one of the first clinicians to carry out the procedure.

Patients may feel some pain and discomfort afterwards, he said. However, histotripsy carries a lower risk of complications than ablation, in which liver tumours are destroyed by applying heat.

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The technology has been approved in the UK under the innovative devices access pathway, a process overseen by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is designed to allow faster approvals of potentially transformative medical devices that address urgent unmet needs and have evidence of safety and efficacy.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who authorised early access to the technology, said: “By cutting red tape we’ve allowed this non-invasive, life-saving treatment to reach patients years earlier than planned.”

Liver cancer incidence across the UK has surged by more than 40 per cent over the past decade, according to the charity Liver Cancer UK, fuelled by harmful levels of alcohol consumption, rising obesity rates and the growing prevalence of hepatitis infections. There are now about 6,000deaths each year.

It has one of the lowest survival rates out of all cancer types and is showing one of the fastest increases in mortality. Only 13 per cent of patients will survive for five years or more after a diagnosis, the charity says.

Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge will be the first in the UK to use the treatment on liver cancer patients

ALAMY

Roland Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Histotripsy is an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients. By offering this non-invasive, more targeted treatment, we can care for more people as outpatients and free up time for surgeons to treat more complex cases.”

The installation of the UK’s first histotripsy system at Addenbrooke’s was supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, a long-standing backer of cancer research in Cambridge. The technology has been developed by the US company HistoSonics.

Sinker added: “The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time. We are delighted to be receiving this new state-of-the-art machine.”

Further studies are under way to explore histotripsy’s use in treating kidney and pancreatic cancers.

Fiona Carey, who is a kidney cancer patient and co-chair of the patient advisory group for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, said: “This is seriously good news. A new, non-invasive option to treat these cancers is very welcome indeed. For patients for whom ordinary surgery is no longer an option, this could make all the difference.”

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James Pound, interim executive director of innovation and compliance at the MHRA, said: “This is a strong example of smart, agile regulation in action. Working closely with partners through the innovative devices access pathway, we’ve shown we can get promising technologies to patients faster, without compromising safety.

“It’s a major step forward for patients with liver cancer and shows how the UK can be a frontrunner in supporting responsible innovation that meets real clinical need.”