Histotripsy is a novel, non-invasive ultrasound-based ablative therapy that destroys tissue through focused cavitation. As solid tumors continue to be a major global health burden, there is interest in image-guided ablation techniques that reduce collateral damage and promote immune activation. This narrative review aims to synthesize current advancements, clinical applications, limitations, and future directions of histotripsy in both oncologic and non-oncologic contexts. A comprehensive literature search was conducted from database inception to July 2025. Search terms included combinations of subject headings and keywords such as “histotripsy,” “mechanical ablation,” “ultrasound,” and “solid tumors.” Boolean operators and truncation were used to increase sensitivity. Peer-reviewed studies were included, encompassing preclinical, clinical, and review articles. Reference lists of relevant articles were examined to identify additional sources. Histotripsy has shown strong potential in the treatment of tumors involving the liver, pancreas, kidney, brain, and cardiovascular system. It offers real-time imaging guidance, sharp lesion boundaries, and minimal damage to surrounding structures. Early clinical trials have demonstrated encouraging safety and efficacy, particularly in liver and kidney tumors. Its ability to preserve critical anatomy and stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses through the release of cellular debris and cytokines offers advantages over thermal ablation. Limitations include acoustic aberration, motion-related targeting challenges, and the need for further long-term clinical data. Histotripsy represents a promising advancement in noninvasive tumor ablation. Continued clinical investigation and technological refinement are necessary to validate its therapeutic value and define its role within comprehensive cancer care.
组织裂解术是一种新型、非侵入性的超声消融疗法,通过聚焦空化效应破坏组织。鉴于实体肿瘤仍是全球重大健康负担,能够减少附带损伤并促进免疫激活的影像引导消融技术备受关注。本文旨在系统综述组织裂解术在肿瘤与非肿瘤领域的最新进展、临床应用、局限性与未来发展方向。通过检索数据库建库至2025年7月的文献,采用“组织裂解术”“机械消融”“超声”“实体肿瘤”等主题词与关键词组合进行检索,运用布尔运算符与截词符提高查全率。纳入经同行评议的临床前研究、临床试验及综述类文献,并对相关文献的参考文献进行追溯检索。组织裂解术在肝脏、胰腺、肾脏、脑部及心血管系统肿瘤治疗中展现出显著潜力,具有实时影像引导、消融边界清晰、对周围组织损伤极小等特点。早期临床试验尤其在肝肾脏肿瘤治疗中显示出良好的安全性与有效性。该技术通过释放细胞碎片和细胞因子,在保留关键解剖结构的同时激发先天性与适应性免疫应答,较热消融技术更具优势。当前局限性包括声学畸变、运动相关靶向挑战以及需要更多长期临床数据支持。组织裂解术作为无创肿瘤消融领域的重要进展,仍需持续开展临床研究和技术优化,以验证其治疗价值并确立其在肿瘤综合治疗体系中的地位。
Histotripsy: Recent Advances, Clinical Applications, and Future Prospects