NanoKnife

Hi, still looking for any and all information on succesful NanoKnife procedure for inoperable tumor on head of pancreas. Found many stories back to March and Sept. 2010 but no "survival" stories. Centers who performed the NanoKnife do not broadcaast long tern effects or status of those who had NanoKnife. This is a big decision to make but I cannot find any real people who have survived more than 3 months. Anybody know anything about Nanoknife???? Options now are medical marijuana, curcurmin, GTX, Folfirinox, Hedgehog, Gemzar/Abraxane so NanoKnife seems most promising but not supported really anywhere. Appreciate info on any of these options. Thanks- Pat

Hi Shelby,

First of all, why is the tumor inoperable in the head of the pancreas? Is it wrapped around the hepatic or portal vein? I know someone that had a tumor removed from the head of the pancreas, along with a vein graft from her leg. This was 5+ years ago. She had the procedure at M.D. Anderson...might want to call them. 

My aunt has Stage 3 Locally Advanced P.C. Although there isn't a lot of information regarding Nanoknife/IRE due to the procedure being so new for P.C., she is going to Louisville KY at the end of March for the Nanoknife procedure by Dr. Robert Martin. He reviewed her scans, labs, history, etc. and decided she is a candidate for surgery. You should maybe contact them to get another opinion. We got Dr. Martin's name from a surgeon (Dr. Wolfgang) at Johns Hopkins. Basically IRE electrocutes the tumor and kills it. I am unsure if they are able to use the Nanoknife on a tumor inside the head, but it is worth a shot.

My aunt took Gemzar + Tarceva for 4 months, followed by radiation and Xeloda. None of this shrunk her tumor enough for resection. For P.C., resection is essentially the only "curative" treatment.

Please let me know if you need more information or if I can help you in any way. Good information is available on www.pancan.org . 

Ashley

Hi Ashley,

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to get an appointment now for a consultation for Nanoknife. My husbands tumor is wrapped around the artery that goes from the heart to the intestines the tumor won't shrink enougheither for resection. The tumor is on the head not inside and also wraps around the vein but that part is resectable, not the artery. I called Hopkins and they didn't know what Nanoknike was but perhaps I should have said IRE instead as the University of Maryland Medical Center is also doing this procedure along with Sloan-Kettering and numerous other University Medical Centers. Stony brook N.Y is also doing this so we have many options. I was looking for someone who has had this NanoKnife done last year to see how they are doing. Good luck to your aunt and maybe we will both have good stories to tell anyone else who needs info in the future.   Thanks  

Hi Shelby,

Okay...so the tumor is around the Superior Mesenteric Artery and the Superior Mesenteric Vein? It is awesome that the vein segment is resectable. The lady I was telling you about that had surgery at MD Anderson had the same problem...wrapped around SMA and hepatic vein that was resectable. They did the arterial graft to fix the artery.

Your husband must have the same thing as my aunt....Stage 3 Locally Advanced P.C. I spoke with Dr. Wolfgang at Hopkins, who referred me to University of Louisville's Dr. Robert Martin for the Nanoknife. Sloan Kettering and numerous other institutions are doing the Nanoknife procedure, but there is only a handful that perform it for pancreatic cancer (other use IRE for liver and lung). Stonybrook was actually the first hospital to use IRE on P.C.

A lady that I speak to frequently on this website had the Nanoknife done in December. She is doing extremely well right now. She hasn't had her f/u CT scan to find out how the procedure worked, but she is feeling good. Dr. Martin was able to essentially do a whipple without removing the duodenum and re-routing her biliary tract. He removed all cancerous areas...hopefully she will have some good news soon!

Good luck to you also. Please let me know if I can do something for you!!

If the tumor is wrapped around the portal vein, is the NanoKinfe not a option? I'm thinking of calling StonyBrook to see if my Mom can get a consult.

I called Stony Brook but have not heard anything yet. I also called and e-mailed Baltimore and am awaiting results from a CT scan now. Stony-Brook was my first choice as it does has the reputation of being the "first". Location does have certain restrictions. We have been to Dana-Farber twice, once at the beginning and again when the Gemzar actually shrunk the tumor from 5cm to 1cm but the specialist said that the mesenteric artery could not be resected. I see this operation is being done in Germany but am shocked to see it's done at Anderson. Boy, are we going to be calling Anderson. Dana-Farber is no lightweight in Pancreatic cancer so I'm confused by their absolute statement of NO. The doctor there could resect the vein, but said no one could do the artery anywhere!!! Maybe things changed since then. We will be talking long and hard to our oncologist as we thought we had reliable information. Are you sure Anderson does both the Mesenteric artery and vein???   Boston says the intestines die before the resection can be completed. I believe from my research that the portal vein can be resected and the NanoKnife is also an option.

Thanks for all the info.

Hi:

Did you succeed in finding anyone with good results from nanoknife and PC?

Thanks,

Joann

Hi

We went with the nanoknife. our thinking was that it was an only option as long as the chemo kept things contained. Any mets rules out nanoknife, so time was important. We went back on chemo until we have a ct scan to see what's up. There are other people here who have had nanoknife all at the same time so we are all in the same time frame. I saw on this post someone who had nanoknife I think in Dec. who passed away in May because the cancer came back quick. The doctor we spoke to told us his "people" were all O.K. back in March. Very little results on nanoknife because it is so new, very hard decision. We thought that it was our only chance as this tumor is on the head of the pancreas and inoperable.   We are hoping that the nanoknife literally kills the tumor!!!! We still have various chemo options with or without the nanoknife but the nanoknife was a different chance at a limited time schedule.

Hi achurch13

Just a follow up on your aunt. How is she doing? We went with the nanoknife but see now that perhaps that woman from Dec. may have passed. Did your aunt ever have the nanoknife? I keep in touch with Hopkins and was surprised to hear that someone there referred you to Watkins. I asked and the doctor I talk to regularly thought it was a local thing and never heard of it. Just shows us we have to be proactive and search and discuss, discuss discuss with others.  I know  the University of Maryland Radiologist Dept. performs the Nanoknife but not as an "open" procedure. I wonder where the cancer was on that woman in Dec. if Dr. Martin removed all cancerous areas? Not a tumor????

Hoping your aunt has better results!!!!

Pat

Hi:

So you did have nanoknife? When? Where?

I'd like to think that nanoknife is an alternative to Whipple but maybe it's more of a last-ditch effort than the Whipple?

Any info you are willing to share would be wonderful.

Thank you,

Joann