HK showing 'incredibly high interest' in new cancer tech

Henry Siu

Hong Kong medical facilities have shown an "incredibly high interest" in a new noninvasive and painless cancer therapy that uses high-intensity ultrasound waves to precisely destroy cancer cells, a medical equipment manufacturer said.

The Li Ka Shing Foundation recently donated two systems using histotripsy technology to the two medical schools in Hong Kong, with the first batch of liver cancer patients completing their therapy last Thursday.

The foundation has set aside more than US$6 million (HK$46.8 million) as part of the donation of the equipment, patient treatments, and to help cover the training of medical staff in the United States.

Mike Blue, chief executive officer of developer and manufacturer HistoSonics, told Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister publication, that it took the Minnesota-based company nearly 25 years to develop the equipment.

After gaining the US Food and Drug Administration's approval, the new technology soon became popular among patients, with orders being scheduled until next year.

"Hong Kong medical institutions have incredibly high interest in it," he said.

Blue said clinical trials must be conducted in Hong Kong to prove the effectiveness of the therapy to the Hospital Authority.

Two liver cancer patients were the first locals to receive the treatment using histotripsy equipment at Queen Mary Hospital last Thursday, with the treatment lasting for nine and 13 minutes, respectively.

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Hong Kong, with about 1,800 new cases and over 1,500 deaths annually. Blue said the company chose to apply the new therapy to liver cancer sufferers first as the five-year survival rate for patients is 17 to 18 percent only.

He said the company is studying to expand the use of the equipment to cover other cancers, including kidney and pancreatic cancer.

HistoSonics has recruited patients for the second phase of the clinical trial for kidney cancer and is expected to submit a report to the FDA next year. The first phase of a clinical trial for pancreatic cancer will also start later this year.

"Histotripsy utilizes high-intensity ultrasound waves to target cancer cells and destroy them with microbubbles. Patients could experience relief from discomfort almost immediately," Blue said.

Patients only have to undergo one therapy with no scars, minimizing the impact on lives, Blue said. The company's vision is to cover all types of cancer, he added.

Blue also hopes the technology could cure childhood cancer, as St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee has purchased equipment to treat liver cancer.

henry.siu@singtaonewscorp.com