A new technique that destroys cancer using soundwaves also spurs the immune system to kill off any of the tumour left, scientists have revealed. The non-invasive treatment only needs to be partially effective to stop the cancer spreading.
It is currently being tested on human liver cancers in the US and Europe following successful trials in rats. The team from the University of Michigan showed the noninvasive sound technology is able to prevent further spread with no evidence of recurrence or metastases in the majority of cases.
The treatment, called histotripsy, noninvasively focuses ultrasound waves to mechanically destroy target tissue with millimetre precision. In many cases, the entirety of a cancerous tumour cannot be targeted directly in treatments due to the mass' size, location or stage.
