Making History with Histotripsy

In January 2024, Swedish First Hill became the first hospital in the Pacific Northwest region to provide a new treatment option for liver cancer called histotripsy. This form of treatment provides hope to patients who are not candidates for surgery or have tried other forms of treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation without success. Additionally, this noninvasive, FDA-approved procedure for patients with liver cancer has minimal side effects; patients have little-to-no down time after the procedure.

Safe and effective care

Studies have shown that histotripsy is a safe and effective addition to treatments currently available for cancer and liver tumors, which include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.

Because the innovative histotripsy procedure is noninvasive, it minimizes the risk of infection, bleeding, and other complications. Early clinical trials show a promising success rate, indicating that physicians can precisely target and destroy liver tissue and tumors that cannot be completely removed through surgery. It also brings new hope to patients who cannot tolerate surgery or for whom radiation or chemotherapy is not a viable option.

The benefit of histotripsy is that it can create a very distinct area of treatment. That makes the treatment highly controllable, highly predictable, and more precise. It can achieve the same results as surgery but with less side effects and fewer complications. And when treatments are done in that environment, it makes them safer.

What to expect

Histotripsy works by using targeted ultrasound waves to form microbubbles within the tumor. As the bubbles form and collapse, they cause the mass to break apart, killing tumor cells and leaving the debris to be cleaned up by the immune system.

The robotic-assisted histotripsy procedure is performed and controlled by our specially trained surgical oncologists using sophisticated imaging technology.

Patients receive general anesthesia to minimize movement during the procedure, but it is not painful. Patients typically go home the same day they have the procedure.

Our approach

Swedish continues to bring innovative, advanced treatment through clinical research and the expertise of the entire team. Our team works in a collaborative environment to focus on you – not your disease. We fight cancer using every available tool, from the rapidly developing science of gene sequencing to innovative treatments and therapies like histotripsy to the compassionate caring and support you and your loved ones deserve. Read more