University of Michigan offers new hope for tumor treatments

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death, with many other cancers spreading to the liver. A promising new technology called histotripsy, developed at the University of Michigan, uses ultrasound to destroy liver tumors without the need for needles, radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy. Dr. Mishal Mendiratta-Lala explains that histotripsy works by causing air pockets within tumor cells to expand and contract until the cell membranes rupture, effectively killing the tumor. Currently FDA-approved for liver cancer, the technology shows potential for future applications in treating kidney and brain cancers.