UTHealth Houston study on repeated radiofrequency ablation in combination with chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer supported with $3.3M HHS grant
Nirav Thosani, left, MD, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, works in the lab with Jennifer Bailey, right, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)
A combination strategy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) with chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer will be studied at UTHealth Houston through a $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The survival rate of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, or pancreatic cancer, remains low, around 10%, because of its poor response to current chemotherapies.
The five-year grant will continue the established six-year clinical and translational research collaboration between Jennifer Bailey-Lundberg, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; and Nirav Thosani, MD, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, both with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
Radiofrequency ablation therapy is the localized use of radio waves to destroy tumor tissues and reduce their growth. Shrinkage of the tumors can allow for them to be surgically removed.