Sponsored by Norwalk Hospital, part of Northwell Health.   

For Westporters navigating a liver tumor diagnosis, a new treatment option at Northwell Health’s Norwalk Hospital may offer another path forward.

Norwalk Hospital is the first hospital in Connecticut to offer histotripsy for liver tumors. The FDA-approved technology uses focused ultrasound waves to destroy targeted tumors without surgery, needles or radiation. This is especially meaningful for community members with liver tumors who have been told surgery is not an option.

The need for more options is growing. Liver cancer incidence rates have tripled in the United States over the past four decades, according to the American Cancer Society, and the disease is often diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment becomes more complex.

Histotripsy is a form of ultrasound that uses pulsed sound waves to create “bubble clouds” from gases naturally found in targeted tissue. Using the Edison® Histotripsy System, surgeons can target and mechanically disrupt tumors with precision while preserving surrounding healthy tissue.

Patients usually can go home the same day as the treatment.

“We are excited to have another treatment option for patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors,” says Daniel Labow, MD, chair of surgical services and a surgical oncologist in the Connecticut and Hudson Valley markets of Northwell. “Histotripsy offers hope for patients with inoperable liver tumors and complements other cancer therapies, allowing us to improve both overall survival and quality of life.”

Histotripsy is designed for unresectable, or inoperable, liver tumors in patients with primary liver cancer or metastatic disease that has spread to the liver. Because it is non-thermal, the technology can destroy tumor tissue while helping protect nearby blood vessels, bile ducts and healthy liver tissue.

“Histotripsy is a meaningful option for those who are not candidates for surgery, or if previous chemotherapy or radiation therapies have not effectively treated the tumor,” says Dr. Labow, who is also the Carmen L. and Peter Buck Endowed Chair of Surgery at Northwell. “For Westport residents, having histotripsy available at Norwalk Hospital means a highly specialized cancer treatment is available nearby.”

The technology adds another option to Norwalk Hospital’s multispecialty approach at the C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Cancer Center. Patients and caregivers can ask whether histotripsy may be appropriate as part of a liver cancer treatment plan. Learn more about histotripsy for liver cancer treatment at Norwalk Hospital.

Northwell Cancer Institute Surgical Oncology at Norwalk provides personalized care for people with hepatobiliary cancer, including liver and pancreatic cancer, skin cancer and more.

Northwell Health has sponsored this content for Westport Journal. For more information, visit northwell.edu.