A New Way to Treat Liver Tumors in Tulsa — Without Surgery
Saint Francis is proud to be the only healthcare system in Oklahoma offering non-invasive tumor treatment with the Edison robotic histotripsy system.
By Saint Francis Health System Staff
When most people hear "tumor treatment," their minds go straight to surgery, long recoveries and difficult side effects. A newer approach called histotripsy is changing that conversation for patients with liver tumors.
What Is Histotripsy?
Histotripsy is a noninvasive treatment that uses focused ultrasound waves to break down liver tumors — no incisions, no needles, no radiation. The technology targets the tumor with precision, breaking it into tiny particles the body can naturally clear away on its own.
What to Expect
The procedure is done under general anesthesia, so there's nothing to feel during treatment and no need to worry about staying perfectly still. Each tumor typically takes 30 to 60 minutes to treat. Many patients are awake, sitting up and eating within an hour of the procedure wrapping up. Some go home the same day; others stay overnight for observation.
Mild soreness in the days following treatment is common, but most patients are able to return to normal activities relatively quickly.
Who Is a Candidate?
Histotripsy is currently approved for treating liver tumors — including primary liver cancer and cancers that have spread to the liver from the colon, breast, lung or other parts of the body. Not every patient will qualify. In general, good candidates have:
- A limited number of tumors, often four or fewer
- Tumors that are smaller in size, depending on their location in the liver
The best way to find out if histotripsy is right for you is to have your imaging and medical history reviewed by a specialist.
How It Fits Into Your Overall Care
One of the biggest advantages of histotripsy is how well it works alongside other treatments. In many cases, patients don't need to pause chemotherapy or other therapies to undergo the procedure. That continuity can make an already stressful time feel more manageable.
And if histotripsy turns out not to be the right fit, the evaluation process itself is a valuable step — care teams can guide patients toward other liver-directed therapies to keep treatment moving forward.
For patients who haven't had many options before, histotripsy offers something new: a targeted, noninvasive approach with the potential to treat liver tumors while minimizing disruption to everyday life.
Take the Next Step
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with liver tumors, you don't have to navigate this alone. You can inquire directly or ask your current medical team to make a referral. Our team will review your imaging and medical history to determine whether this treatment is the right fit for you.
To get started, call Saint Francis Cancer Center Histotripsy at 833-734-4478.
