National Taiwan University Hospital opens Asia Pacific center for incision-free cancer treatment
臺灣大學醫學院附設醫院開設亞太癌症碎化消融訓練中心
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan University Hospital has opened an Asia Pacific training center for an incision-free liver tumor treatment after treating more than 80 patients in clinical trials, CNA reported Wednesday.
The hospital signed an agreement with a US company and unveiled the Asia Pacific Cancer Histotripsy Training Center. Hospital Superintendent Yu Chung-jen (余忠仁) said the center marks a step forward for Taiwan in noninvasive cancer care. The treatment is nicknamed the “tumor-shattering knife” in Taiwan, though it does not involve an actual knife. It uses focused ultrasound to create tiny bubbles inside a tumor, and the pressure from the bubbles breaks down the tumor tissue. Huang Kai-wen (黃凱文), director of the hospital’s cancer minimally invasive intervention center, said cancer treatment has moved from large wounds to small wounds and now to no wounds. He said the method does not require surgery, needles, heat, or radiation. Huang said the tool may help treat tumors near major blood vessels, bile ducts, the digestive tract, or deep organs. He said it could lower the risk of bleeding, heat damage, and injury to nearby tissue. The hospital said all patients treated in its trials went home the day after treatment. Huang said this shows the method can shorten recovery time. Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration have approved the treatment for liver tumors. Huang said the equipment is difficult to use, so doctors need strict training before using it on patients. Doctors from four countries and several medical centers in Taiwan have observed the treatment, Huang said. He said the center will train doctors from Taiwan and other countries in the region. |
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| Lai Jyun-tang Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2026-06-10 |
