A team of providers from Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Medicine became the first in the U.S. to treat a pancreatic lesion using endoscopic ultrasound-guided microwave ablation.
Led by Shailendra Singh, MD, a gastroenterologist and endoscopist with the WVU Cancer Institute, the team performed the procedure at WVU Medicine’s J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, also in Morgantown.
The patient had metastatic renal cell carcinoma involving the pancreas and was not considered a candidate for surgery due to high risk, according to a Nov. 14 system news release.
Microwave ablation uses controlled heat to destroy tissue via a thin needle guided by ultrasound imaging, offering a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgical resection. A follow-up PET scan showed no significant metabolic activity in the previously treated pancreatic lesion.
WVU Medicine described the use of EUS-MWA as an extension of its existing endoscopic ultrasound-guided ablation capabilities, which include radiofrequency ablation for treating pancreatic tumors and cancer-related pain. Dr. Singh has led the system’s efforts in expanding the use of EUS for treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, adenocarcinoma and other lesions, according to the release.
