Wilmot Cancer Institute Surgical Teams Bring Innovative Options to Cancer Patients
People in Rochester and the surrounding regions who have certain types of advanced cancer may now have access to three advances in surgical cancer care closer to home through University of Rochester Medicine.
While histotripsy has been available for a few years now, research studies at Wilmot Cancer Institute are evaluating whether it could help other types of cancers. In addition, Wilmot’s Surgery team began providing hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pumps at the end of 2025, and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), earlier in 2026.
Having options like this is critical to Wilmot’s mission.
“These surgical efforts further demonstrate Wilmot’s expertise in caring for patients with rare and complex cancers,” says Jonathan W. Friedberg, MD, MMSc, director of Wilmot Cancer Institute. “It remains our vision that patients will never have to leave the region to receive the highest quality, cutting-edge cancer care.”
These services were highlighted in Wilmot’s 2026 Impact Report. Read more about them below.
Histotripsy: Wilmot is a National Leader for the Procedure
In 2023, Wilmot was the first cancer center in the nation to offer histotripsy, a noninvasive procedure that uses high-intensity waves to remove cancerous liver tissue without any incisions.
Since then, the treatment has continued to evolve.
More than 50 patients at University of Rochester Medicine, from all over New York state and as far away as California and Oregon, have received the procedure to treat primary liver tumors or tumors that have spread to the liver from the colon. The procedure has also been used to treat metastatic renal cell cancer, metastatic neuroendocrine tumor, and metastatic leiomyosarcoma.
Wilmot has also been involved with histotripsy research.
In 2025, Wilmot was one of 15 sites nationwide to participate in a clinical trial to understand if histotripsy could help patients with kidney tumors. Wilmot faculty accrued seven patients to the trial, and doctors will follow their progress for the next five years. Study results have not yet been published; the treatment is pending FDA approval based on the trial outcome. But if the treatment is approved, it will be the only completely non-invasive therapy for patients with a single kidney tumor that is 3 cm in size or less.
HAI Pump Attacks Tumors Directly While Minimizing Side Effects
One particular surgical innovation is improving life for patients like Kelly Colaprete of Victor. She has metastatic colorectal cancer, but a hepatic artery infusion pump, or HAI pump, is helping her enjoy life with her husband and her busy 8-year-old daughter.
Surgeons implant the HAI pump into the abdomen, and it infuses chemotherapy directly into the liver. This “direct access” to the organ is what makes it so effective. Doctors can prescribe a higher dose of chemotherapy than would be possible if it were given through the veins. This procedure has been used mostly for colon cancer that’s spread to the liver and cholangiocarcinoma, a type of primary liver cancer.
The first HAI pump for a Wilmot patient was implanted in December 2025, with seven more to follow. In April 2026, Colaprete was the first person in Rochester to receive the procedure robotically.
She says that receiving chemotherapy via the HAI pump has been a completely different experience. Side effects are diminished. With traditional chemotherapy, it took a couple of days to recover, and she often stayed home and rested.
“Now, a couple of hours later, I am up and about doing things,” she says. “As an example, I had my pump filled yesterday with chemotherapy and was able to go to my daughter’s soccer game a couple of hours later. It’s just so wonderful to resume whatever you do, to get back to work or to family.”
HIPEC: Another Technique for Advanced Cancer
In spring 2026, Wilmot began offering a new-to-Rochester procedure: HIPEC, which stands for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The procedure involves two steps: first, surgeons remove all visible tumors in the abdomen, referred to as cytoreduction. Next, they pump high doses of heated chemotherapy into the abdominal cavity to remove any residual cancer.
Studies have shown this approach can improve survival for cancer that have spread to the abdomen, such as colorectal, appendiceal, ovarian, or gastric cancers.
The opportunity for a better outcome is why Jason Stephens decided to become the first patient to receive the HIPEC procedure at URochester Medicine in April 2026.
Stephens has metastatic appendiceal cancer and says that having the treatment option close to home is huge. He was a little nervous, but his team, including colorectal surgeon Zhaomin Xu, MD, MPH, helped him through it.
“After talking with Dr. Xu, I trusted him,” Stephens said.
Most importantly, having the procedure in Rochester allowed him to remain closer to his family, including three daughters and six grandchildren, as he recovered at home in Hilton, 18 miles away.
“This procedure is life-changing for our patients,” says Larissa Temple, MD, chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery at URochester Medicine. “It can greatly extend survival for many patients, and we are proud to be able to offer it to our community.”
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