The needle itself is about the length of a normal pencil. The generator, which provides the energy to the needle, is no larger than your old VCR that played countless movies before DVD players became the rage. Yet, these two small items – the needle and generator – provide huge results when used by FCHC physicians to destroy certain types of cancer cells.

The needle and generator or pieces of equipment used to perform Radio Frequency Ablation. The process involves inserting the needle inside a malignant tumor and killing the tumor from the inside out using radio frequency waves created by the generator. The radio frequency waves produce a high amount of heat inside the tumor that causes it to change its molecular structure, rendering it incapable of reproducing and growing.

“It is a sophisticated medical tool, but the process is rather simple,” says Charles Lash, M.D., a board certified FCHC Urologist who was instrumental in having the Health Center purchase the equipment. “We basically ‘cook’ the tumor from the inside out by heating it.” Dr. Lash says the tumor doesn’t disintegrate. Instead, it becomes similar in consistency to a boiled egg – soft and squishy – and the body’s immune system eventually disposes of it. Dr. Lash says Radio Frequency Ablation works best on liver and kidney tumors.

There is another important element, however, that allows Dr. Lash to perform the procedure with such accuracy. “We had to have a sophisticated CT scanner in order to be able to use the Radio Frequency Ablation,” says Dr. Lash. “That’s where our 64-slice CT scanner comes in.” The sophisticated scanner was installed at FCHC about six months ago. It is operated by Michael Pole, M.D., a board certified FCHC Radiologist.

“We use the CT to carefully guide the needle that Dr. Lash inserts into the tumor,” says Dr. Pole. “The process is called Radiographic Needle Guidance. The needle has to be placed directly in the center of the tumor, and we can only find the center using three-dimensional reconstructive images that our 64-slice CT scanner provides. It’s the best modality available to accurately guide the needle into the tumor.”

Once the needle has been inserted into the center of the tumor, Dr. Lash “opens” the tiny thin filaments at the tip of needle like an umbrella. These filaments allow the heat that is generated by the radio frequency waves to spread evenly throughout the tumor. The procedure is performed under a local anesthetic and is relatively quick, lasting only about a half hour. Patients are usually kept overnight at the Health Center for observation – primarily to make sure there is no bleeding.

“In the past we’ve had to remove the kidney to treat the kidney tumor,” says Dr. Lash. “The problem there is that it places the patient at great risk – both during the surgery and afterward when they have to function on only one kidney.” Radio Frequency Ablation allows the patient to keep the kidney intact. An added bonus is that heat from the radio frequency waves actually cauterizes the blood vessels inside the kidney or liver to virtually eliminate any internal bleeding. There are essentially no side effects, and patients experience limited pain from the procedure. The chance of infection is also reduced since the process is not major surgery and no large incisions are made. The only risk is that the heat generated from the radio frequency waves can damage adjacent structures such as the blood vessels and intestines. So great care is taken to make sure the tumor is not touching any such structures.

The obvious question is why don’t physicians use Radio Frequency Ablation on all tumors? “Because,” says Dr. Lash, “the procedure works best on single tumors that are relatively small and localized within an organ. It would not work well on a patient with colon cancer, for example, because the heat from the radio frequency waves would damage the colon.” “Tumors are all different in their cellular makeup,” adds Dr. Pole. “So even though the procedure is quite effective on liver and kidney tumors, it doesn’t work as effectively on other tumors.”

“We’re in a position now at the Health Center where we’re no longer playing catch up with the large city hospitals as far as medical technology is concerned,” says Dr. Lash. “We’re starting to be the ones to set the pace.” Dr. Pole agrees. “It’s amazing how dramatically our Radiology department has changed over the last six months. We certainly have the best medical equipment around.”

For more information about Radio Frequency Ablation, contact Steve McCoy, FCHC Director of Marketing and Planning, at 419-330-2717.