This kind of cancer treatment uses targeted electrical pulses to shrink or destroy tumors and triggers your immune system to recognize and fight tumor tissue and cancer cells elsewhere in the body.
Roswell Park is the only center in the region offering this novel treatment option.
What is pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation?
Pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation is a minimally invasive cancer treatment that uses a needle-like probe inserted through a small incision directly into a tumor. Roswell Park uses the Aliya™ PEF System in which the probe delivers short, high frequency electrical pulses that shrink or destroy the tumor and destabilizes and/or kills cancer cells in other parts of your body. Because this is non-thermal energy, it can be used near nerves, ducts, vessels and other critical structures.
As the cancer cells die, they release a specific protein which can stimulate your own immune system to destroy other tumor tissue, and to recognize and destroy cancer cells in other parts of your body. The treatment can improve tumor control without causing harmful side effects to healthy cells, tissue, and organs.
Tumors we treat with PEF
PEF ablation has been successful in reducing and/or destroying tumors in patients whose cancer has progressed, or metastasized, to other parts of the body despite systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. It has been effective in treating sarcoma and colorectal cancers and tumors in the lung, neck, liver or anywhere in the body a needle can be safely inserted through soft tissue. A new robotic bronchoscopy system allows doctors to also target tumors found deeper in the lungs.
What to expect
PEF ablation is a safe outpatient procedure performed in a hospital under general anesthesia. The procedure lasts about a total of five hours, from preparing you for insertion of the probe, through electronic ablation of the tumor and then recovery, which is typically two hours. Some patients may experience chest wall aches or mild flu-like symptoms for post-procedure, but these are generally temporary. Moderate pain is usually managed with OTC medications.
Benefits of PEF
PEF ablation is safe and offers patients whose disease has progressed despite systemic therapy with an additional treatment option that results in less pain, faster recovery, and fewer complications. Multiple tumors can be treated during the procedure, and the treatment can be safely repeated if necessary. About 40% of patients treated with PEF ablation get the additional immune response.
PEF has the potential to improve survival for patients who have aggressive metastatic disease.Michael Petroziello, MD