A new liver cancer treatment that uses ultrasound technology to target tumours without surgery, is to be made available on the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
The technology, called histotripsy and developed by US-based company HistoSonics, is a non-invasive treatment that targets tumours with minimal damage to surrounding organs and can be delivered in a single session, potentially around 30 minutes long, according to the DHSC.
It uses pulsed sound waves to create ‘bubble clouds’ from gases present in targeted tissue. These clouds form and then collapse, which creates mechanical forces able to destroy tissue.
Ongoing research is being done to explore the technology’s potential to treat hard to reach tumours, including kidney and pancreatic cancers.
It will be available at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, part of Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, with the first patients expected to be treated this summer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said that it was ‘slashing red tape’ that had allowed this treatment to be rolled out quickly, after he gave authorisation for controlled early access to the device via an unmet clinical need authorisation.
He said: ‘Regulation is vital to protect patients. However, as the pace of innovation ramps up, our processes must be more agile to help speed the shift from analogue to digital.
‘Our common sense approach to regulation will streamline approval processes so countless more patients are liberated from life-limiting conditions.’
Roland Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals 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 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.’
It comes after a blood test that can detect lung cancer is to be rolled out across the NHS to speed up access to treatment.
