Launch of Non-invasive Histotripsy Ultrasound Treatment for Liver Cancer in Europe

Published: 23 Jun 2025

Author: Precedence Research

Share :

A revolutionary non-invasive treatment of liver cancer was unveiled in the UK, making it the first in Europe when the National Health Service (NHS) became the first to introduce a non-invasive treatment of its kind. The histotripsy is a new form of therapy, which is an efficient and safe alternative to surgery, radiation, or heating. The researchers at the University of Michigan have developed this method with the commercial help of the U.S.-based firm HistoSonics. This is expected to revolutionize the manner in which clinicians address primary as well as metastatic liver cancer.

In comparison to the traditional methods that usually include such aggressive measures as chemotherapy, surgical resection, or thermal ablation. This histotripsy employs high-energy pulses of ultrasound that create a near-localized bubble cloud inside the tumor. These microbubble ruptures occur in microseconds and physically destroy the tumor cells on the cellular level. The liquefied tumor tissue is then absorbed naturally in the body, and the process takes a duration of one to two months with a minimum amount of scarring and healthy surrounding organs saved. The new technology may cut recovery time and post-treatment complications to a great extent, given that the complete procedure may be run within one 30-minute session.

Clinicians, researchers, and patients are declaring this advancement as a major breakthrough and the UK government has acted swiftly by making sure that early access is achieved using their Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP). The government framed the initiative as a campaign to reduce bureaucratic red tape and to speed up life-saving innovations in NHS. The patients under the NHS are expected to have the histotripsy procedure in the Addenbrooke Hospital in Cambridge, a major cancer research and treatment center. In addition to immediate clinical effects, histotripsy has the potential to trigger the immune system, making it more reliable.

Executive's Statement

Roland Sinker, CEO of Cambridge University Hospitals

“Histotripsy is an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients. It represents a turning point in how we treat liver cancer, and we're proud to be leading the charge in offering this to patients in the UK and across Europe.”