Ultrasound, long familiar as a diagnostic tool, has now become a weapon against cancer. The histotripsy method was developed more than 20 years ago by bioengineer Zheng Xu and has since gone a long way toward clinical use.
The technique uses focused ultrasound waves. Under high-frequency pulses, microbubbles form inside the tumor and then collapse, destroying malignant tissue. It all happens mechanically and without heat, which sharply reduces risks to healthy cells. Best of all, the procedure requires neither incisions nor anesthesia: patients can go home the same day.
Today, histotripsy is officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating liver tumors. The United Kingdom was the first in Europe to begin using it within state medicine. Clinical data are impressive: up to 95% of patients successfully underwent the procedure without serious complications.
Compared with conventional treatment methods, histotripsy looks like a step toward gentler, more precise and faster medicine. Of course, it is not a universal solution, but as Professor Xu emphasizes, "if the method reduces patients' suffering even a little, that is already a victory."
