Chongqing Haifu Hospital: A Global Beacon for Non-Invasive Tumor Therapy with HIFU Technology
Life should not be easily defined by disease. ForFor Traian, a 59-year-old New York physician, this belief has sustained him through his years-long battle with a leg tumor.
Traian, an avid sports enthusiast obsessed with rock climbing and cycling, is a physician who should have been saving others. However, he discovered an 18-centimeter malignant tumor in his left leg. For years, he sought treatment at top hospitals in the United States and Germany, only to receive nearly identical verdicts: extensive muscle resection was necessary, meaning he might have to bid farewell forever to the career and lifestyle he cherished.
“If life ends here, I can accept it, but I refuse to have it removed.”
At a loss, Traian learned through the University of Oxford that in Chongqing, China, there is a technology called “HIFU Knife”®” equipment capable of performing Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery (FUAS) to treat tumors non-invasively, thereby avoiding the need for left leg muscle resection. This prompted him to resolutely embark on a journey to the East in search of medical treatment.
Upon arriving in Chongqing, Traian had significant difficulty walking. Professor Chen Wenzhi, Chief Medical Expert at Chongqing Haifu Hospital, collaborated with him to develop a surgical plan. After a four-hour procedure, the tumor in Traian’s leg was successfully ablated without any damage to nerves, muscles, or bones. As a result, he was able to walk freely after just four hours of postoperative rest.
Prof. Chen Wenzhi is diagnosing Traian
At that moment, he not only regained his footing but also reclaimed control over his life. Today, Traian has returned to New York and resumed his normal work and daily life.
Coincidentally, in May of this year, Dr. Vanda from Canada, who had been suffering from adenomyosis, was also drawn to “Haifu Knife” (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) and traveled a long distance to Chongqing Haifu Hospital to receive non-invasive treatment. After the procedure, Dr. Vanda’s symptoms improved significantly. She described her treatment experience as “Like a miracle” and expressed her hope that this beacon of hope would reach more women around the world.
Vanda (center) with Professor Zhang Lian, President of Chongqing Haifu Hospital (second from left)
From across the globe to Chongqing, patients diagnosed with conditions “requiring surgical resection” ultimately receive “non-invasive treatment.” Such “miracles” are continuously unfolding at Chongqing Haifu Hospital. With advantages including no surgical incisions, short hospital stays, minimal side effects, and lower comprehensive treatment costs, the hospital truly maximizes patient benefits and ensures safer treatments. To date, the hospital has treated patients from 33 countries and regions, completing over 10,000 focused ultrasound ablation procedures, with a very high satisfaction rate of 98%.
What makes this hospital, which attracts patients from around the world, truly unique? At its core, it is not merely a hospital but a global ecosystem center powered by China’s original focused ultrasound technology.
Traditional surgical procedures are associated with significant trauma, substantial blood loss, and slow recovery, deterring many patients despite their severe suffering. As the Haifu Knife®Professor Wang Zhibiao of Chongqing Medical University, the inventor, developed the conviction of “treatment with minimal harm to patients” after witnessing numerous women suffer profound physical and psychological trauma from hysterectomies performed for benign conditions such as uterine fibroids. In the absence of any global precedent, Professor Wang led the HIFU team to pioneer a novel approach, achieving the world’s first breakthrough in the core technologies of focused ultrasound ablation for tumor treatment. This effort gradually realized a series of “zero-to-one” breakthroughs spanning basic research, technological development, equipment manufacturing, clinical application, and the establishment of standards and guidelines.
Focused Ultrasound Ablation Technology: Its principle is analogous to using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight, where the high temperature at the focal point can ignite paper. By focusing extracorporeally emitted ultrasound waves onto intracorporeal lesions, this technology leverages the mechanical, thermal, and cavitation effects of focused ultrasound to instantaneously generate temperatures of approximately 65°C. This induces irreversible coagulative necrosis of the lesion, thereby achieving non-invasive treatment.
Hailed by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF) as a “game-changing and revolutionary therapeutic technology,” its underlying logic lies not only in the advanced nature of “non-invasive treatment” itself, but also in the comprehensive, mature, and multidimensional “Chinese solution” it relies on, which has received international authoritative certification.
In 2011, with the maturation of China’s original focused ultrasound ablation technology solutions, coupled with the dual impetus from national and local government initiatives and medical development trends, to accelerate Haifu Knife®With the clinical demonstration and global promotion of focused ultrasound therapy, Chongqing Haifu Hospital, tasked with the mission of establishing an international model hospital for non-invasive medical treatment using this technology, has officially been completed and put into operation.
As the world’s first comprehensive hospital specializing in focused ultrasound therapy, Chongqing Haifu Hospital integrates clinical application, training, and research. Its key departments include Gynecology, Oncology, Internal Medicine, the Health Management Center, and the Rehabilitation Medicine Center. The hospital performs focused ultrasound ablation and provides comprehensive treatment for benign conditions such as uterine fibroids and adenomyosis, as well as for solid malignant tumors including pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and bone tumors.
The establishment of Chongqing Haifu Hospital has, on one hand, created the HIFU knife®It serves as a “model” for clinical research applications, undertaking the diagnosis and treatment of complex and rare diseases worldwide; furthermore, it signifies the mature implementation of an advanced non-invasive treatment concept. Through specialized training programs, it accelerates the global promotion of this original Chinese innovation.
To continuously advance the standardization and normalization of focused ultrasound technology, the Chongqing Haifu team has actively established a global presence, successfully setting up more than 400 minimally invasive treatment centers. Equipment has been installed and put into clinical use in over 80 overseas medical institutions along the “Belt and Road” routes. Meanwhile, by the end of 2024, Chongqing Haifu Hospital, through its Global Remote Collaboration Service Center for Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery, had established close connections with medical institutions in more than 20 countries and regions. By providing continuous technical support to relevant institutions and personnel, the hospital has effectively promoted the standardized clinical application and large-scale adoption of this technology. To date, it has provided guidance and collaborative support for more than 42,000 procedures, delivering health and hope to more corners of the world.
In March 2025, Chongqing Haifu Hospital performed the “world’s first international 5G remote focused ultrasound ablation surgery,” breaking down geographical and resource barriers. In just two hours, it preserved the fertility hopes of a patient at the HIFU Center in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. This milestone not only marks the entry of China’s original technology into a new phase of globalized remote diagnosis and treatment but also lays the foundation for reshaping the future landscape of global healthcare equity.
The World’s First International 5G Remote Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery
In its continuous pursuit of technological innovation, Chongqing Haifu Hospital has successively participated in multiple national-level scientific research projects and led or participated in the establishment of several international and national academic organizations. In recognition of its outstanding contributions to the field of focused ultrasound, Chongqing Haifu Hospital was awarded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation in 2024 as"Global Center of Excellence", becoming one of the fifteen institutions worldwide to receive this honor, standing alongside prestigious universities such as the University of Oxford, Stanford University, and the University of Maryland. Furthermore, the hospital has partnered with leading international institutions, including the University of Oxford and the European Institute of Oncology, to jointly advance research on new indications and mechanisms.
Global Centers of Excellence, image source: Focused Ultrasound Foundation 2025 Annual Report
Dr. Neal F. Kassell, Founder and Chairman of the Foundation, remarked, “Chongqing Haifu Hospital has long been a global leader. Its steadfast commitment to clinical research, innovative applications, and positive patient outcomes exemplifies the future of modern healthcare.”
Furthermore, the 2025 annual report revealed that Chongqing Haifu Hospital ranked among the top globally in the number of academic papers published annually in the field of focused ultrasound, with its output being twice that of the second-ranked institution during the same period. This underscores China’s leading position in the field of focused ultrasound.
Honors of Chongqing Haifu Hospital
Through the practices of Chongqing Haifu Hospital, we can clearly see that minimally invasive and non-invasive medicine embodies far more than cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic technologies; it also reflects humanity’s relentless pursuit of precision and humanistic care in medical practice. As this evolutionary path becomes increasingly clear, a more promising landscape for minimally invasive and non-invasive medicine is gradually unfolding.
In recent years, with the rise of a series of original Chinese medical technologies, China has gradually become a health destination actively chosen by patients worldwide, achieving a historic leap from “technology import” to “technology export,” while also reshaping the value and trust systems in the international healthcare sector.
In the field of focused ultrasound, the number of players worldwide has surged from five a decade ago to over 100. Addressing an industry in urgent need of consolidation, Dr. Neal F. Kassell expressed affirmation and high expectations for Haifu Technology in an interview with News Items, stating, “Chongqing Haifu is a leading manufacturer in the field of focused ultrasound. It not only outlines the landscape of the industry’s explosive growth but also further clarifies the global leadership position of China’s original technologies.”
Since 1988, Professor Wang Zhibiao and his team at Haifu Technology have been dedicated to full-chain original innovation in both basic research and the application promotion of focused ultrasound. Leveraging focused ultrasound therapeutic technology as a nexus, Haifu Technology, together with the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering at Chongqing Medical University, the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound Medicine, and the High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Tumor Treatment Training Base, has jointly pioneered a distinctive model for collaborative development among industry, academia, research, and clinical application in the field of originally innovative medical devices, thereby driving the vision of “Original Chinese Innovation, Leading the World.”
Professor Wang Zhibiao Leads the National Major Research Instrument Development Project
The Haifu Technology team successively completed the world’s first organ-preserving focused ultrasound treatments for major diseases, including malignant bone tumors, liver cancer, breast cancer, and uterine fibroids; in 2002, the Haifu Knife®It was even proactively introduced by Churchill Hospital at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, pioneering China’s export of large-scale, high-end medical equipment to developed countries.
To date, the company has obtained market access in more than 40 countries and regions, including approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and the European CE marking. As of November 2025, its devices have been exported to 36 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. Cumulatively, approximately 350,000 patients with benign and malignant tumors have been treated, and nearly 4,000 “Haifu babies” have been successfully born to women previously unable to conceive due to benign uterine conditions, thereby supporting the implementation of the national population strategy for a “fertility-friendly society.”
During this process, the Haifu Technology team led and participated in the development of 14 international, national, and industry standards, and contributed to the writing of eight national clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements. Notably, in 2020, it released the “Expert Consensus on Clinical Application Technical Specifications for Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery (2020 Edition),” which is the world’s first and most comprehensive set of technical specifications for clinical applications in the field of focused ultrasound. This consensus further standardizes the clinical application of focused ultrasound ablation therapy and provides guidance for its standardized use in China and worldwide.
October 2025,The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has included high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology for the treatment of uterine fibroids in the global guidelines of the “Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Uterine Fibroids.”This milestone event marks the authoritative recognition of China’s non-invasive treatment technologies by the highest-level academic organization in the global field of obstetrics and gynecology, once again updating the international treatment guidelines for uterine fibroids.
FIGO President Professor Kihara Anne-Beatrice (third from left) and her delegation visit the Haifu Technology booth
The team also initiated the establishment of the “International Society for Minimally Invasive and Non-Invasive Medicine (ISMIVS),” with its permanent secretariat based in Chongqing, and has consecutively hosted six editions of the “International Summit on Minimally Invasive and Non-Invasive Medicine along the Yangtze River,” positioning China as the global hub for HIFU technology and academic exchange. Meanwhile, a national-level training base for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) tumor therapy was established.
As of 2024, the team has cumulatively trained more than 3,000 medical professionals in clinical operation across 135 countries and regions worldwide, including over 530 overseas physicians. With HIFU®Accelerating Global Expansion: Chinese Doctors Will Also Traverse the Oceans, Bringing Chinese Clinical Wisdom and Technical Support to Every Corner in Need.
Launch of International Training Program on Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery
Looking back on the long course of human medicine, trauma, bleeding, and prolonged recovery were once the inevitable costs of surgery. Today, driven by both cutting-edge concepts and benchmark technologies, modern medicine is gradually transitioning from major invasive and invasive procedures to a new era of minimally invasive and even non-invasive approaches. Minimally and non-invasive medicine has also evolved from a mere technical supplement to a core pillar of the modern diagnostic and therapeutic system.
As Professor Wang Zhibiao stated, “Medicine knows no borders, and health is a fundamental right for every individual. We have a responsibility to minimize harm to patients and help them lead better lives.”
From the export of original Chinese technologies to the UK, to patients from developed countries in Europe and America traveling to Chongqing, China, these choices stem from a rational recognition of Chongqing Haifu’s technical advantages, clinical efficacy, and medical philosophy. Here, they are spared the trauma associated with traditional treatments and the lifelong consequences of organ resection, allowing them to preserve the integrity and dignity of life at a lower cost.
Currently, the field of focused ultrasound has become a strategic development priority at both national and local levels. High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) has also been listed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as one of the key technological frontiers worldwide in the 21st century. According to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, there are now 178 indications for this technology globally, indicating broad application prospects.
Looking ahead, healthcare will take “the human” as its sole measure, returning to its original ethos of care and driving a paradigm shift from “treating diseases” to “treating patients.”