Watch CBS News

Beaumont Unveils New Nanoknife Technology to Treat Cancer

Beaumont Hospitals is now one of 20 hospitals nationwide now offering minimally invasive surgery for soft tissue cancer with the NanoKnife IRE System.

Alan Koffron, M.D., surgeon and director, multi-organ transplant program, Beaumont Hospitals, performed Beaumont's first NanoKnife microscopic surgery on Dec. 28. The patient was a 79-year-old Bay City area man with liver cancer.

"The NanoKnife is a dramatic surgical advancement allowing us to treat soft tissue tumors that were previously inoperable," explains Koffron, who participated in clinical studies of the technology. "It provides a new option for people who have exhausted other forms of treatment."

The NanoKnife IRE System is the first medical technology to use irreversible electroporation to kill cancer cells. It does this by opening permanent, nano-sized pores in the membranes of the cells. This irreversible damage causes cell death, while protecting critical and often delicate nearby structures such as ducts and blood vessels.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have cleared the NanoKnife for surgical ablation of soft tissue. According to Koffron, it is used to treat soft tissue tumors in the liver, kidneys and prostate. It is also being tested to treat advanced pancreas tumors.

The procedure is done under general anesthesia and most patients experience less pain or bleeding afterwards. Guided by ultrasound or CT images, a physician places small, IRE electrodes in or around the tumor. The electrodes then send out a series of short, intense electrical pulses that irreversibly damage the cells in the ablation zone and they soon die. Patients are typically discharged from the hospital the day after their procedure.

For more information on NanoKnife treatments call (248) 551-0729.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.