Has anyone out there tried Histotripsy for tumors in the liver?
Has anyone out there tried Histotripsy for tumors in the liver? What were the results, where was it done, and most importantly did your insurance pay for it, or did you have to come out of pocket for the procedure?
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I'm in the UK and enquired about histotrypsy which was under a trial, now ended, at a leading hospital. It is not generally available yet in the UK. This was prior to my liver resection which was done successfully on 16 August (3 small tumours removed plus my gall bladder) from which I have made an excellent recovery - still the possibility of chemo but looking unlikely at present. (An MRI yesterday and a meeting next week with my oncologist will determine whether or not chemo is necessary.)
The consultant responsible for the histotrypsy trial advised me as follows:
'I have to say that I would opt for thermal ablation where possible if I needed treatment on liver mets ( or resection depending on size or location). Your team is experienced and have thermal ablation options should you need them.'
I'm not sure what to make of this - perhaps all will become clear when the results of the trial are published. Given the pressure on public finances it might be that there is no budget yet to adopt histotrypsy in the UK. It sounds as if it is already available in various parts of the US and I hope it proves of benefit to those needing treatment.
Re: @stevie17: My good, positive thoughts are with you for Monday’s consult with RN. I hope you pass their evaluation and they will schedule Histrotripsy in near future… if this procedure meets your “ risk level vs. resolution response”! Your best health is primary- you can get 2nd opinion if you need to.
Best outcomes for you, Bette
I will keep the group informed. I’ve had surgery, failed ablation, Y90 and now on immunotherapy, Keytruda. All since April when I was diagnosed with HHC. First call is with RN on Monday at 1pm ET.
@stevie17: We are all waiting to learn the results of your consultation for Histrotripsy therapy. Please inform us of your experiences! We are anxious to learn from one of us.
Bette
I am awaiting consultation with doctors at Cleveland Clinic. Medicare does pay because it is FDA approved for Liver Cancer. My supplementary insurance pays anything that Medicare does not pay. I was listening to a live presentation last week and it sounded promising. There is a FB group that I follow for more information and real comments from patients.
Sure, I will, Teresa.
I agree that it would be great to hear from someone who had this procedure, @jiangmx24. However, it is difficult given the fact that this procedure is relatively new.
I would be very interested in hearing about your consultation after your appointment in December. Will you post again?
Thank you, Bette!
Hi Teresa,
Thank you for your suggestion and information! I live in Midwest. I found U Chicago has Histotripsy capability, and just made an appointment to see an oncologist there in early December. Hopefully it is suitable for me to utilize histotripsy procedure to get ride of my tumors. It would be great if someone had used it and share the experiences and outcomes. Thanks.
Hello @jiangmx24
I see that @dbamos1945 has already provided you with some information regard Histotripsy and a location on the west coast. If you live in the Midwest, you might want to consider University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their team of researchers developed this technology. Here is information about U of M's program, https://www.uofmhealth.org/search-app?search=Histotripsy
Has your oncologist suggested this treatment for you, or are you just investigating right now?