Cancer: Ultrasonics
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with medical researchers on the development of histotripsy treatments.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
Histotripsy is a non-invasive ultrasound treatment that destroys tumours without the need for surgery or radiation. HistoSonics developed the Edison System to deliver histotripsy, and this was one of eight transformative technologies supported through the Government’s Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot. This programme aimed to streamline patient access to medical devices that address an unmet clinical need in the National Health Service.
In August 2024, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, met with clinicians and researchers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to discuss their pioneering work in histotripsy research and trials, including the world’s first kidney tumour procedure and the HOPE4LIVER and CAIN studies.
In June 2025, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) met with clinicians and researchers at Cambridge University Hospitals to announce the conditional use of histotripsy in the NHS for patients with liver tumours. NHS treatments will begin in October 2025 as a first in Europe, strengthening the United Kingdom’s position as a global leader in medical innovation. The Government continues to work closely with clinical and research experts to accelerate evidence generation of this transformative technology.
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