UT Health San Antonio has become the first hospital in South Texas to use a new, less-invasive method called radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat a patient with pancreatic cancer who could not undergo surgery.
This treatment could offer new hope for people who have few other options.
RFA uses heat created by high-energy radio waves to kill cancer cells. In this case, doctors used an endoscope—a soft, flexible tube passed through the mouth—to guide a tiny probe directly to the tumor. The heat then destroys cancer cells in a small, targeted area.
For some patients, this can help shrink the tumor, relieve pain, and possibly help them live longer. Some early studies even suggest that RFA might help the body’s immune system recognize the cancer and fight it.
This is a big step forward for UT Health San Antonio and for patients across the region. It shows how the hospital is becoming a leader in advanced care, especially for diseases affecting the pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts.
Dr. Prabhleen Chahal, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, said the success of this new treatment is an example of how the hospital is working hard to find new ways to help patients. She said the most important thing is that this procedure offers hope to people who were once considered untreatable.
The first procedure was done by Dr. Rajat Garg, a specialist in advanced endoscopy at the hospital. He worked closely with a team that included surgeons, anesthesiologists, cancer doctors, and other medical experts. This kind of teamwork was key to the success of the treatment.
The patient had other serious health problems, including scarring of the liver (called cirrhosis) and high blood pressure in the lungs. These made surgery and regular chemotherapy too dangerous.
Each week, UT Health San Antonio holds meetings where doctors from different specialties review complex cases like this one. After looking closely at the patient’s scans, medical history, and other details, the team agreed that RFA was the safest and most sensible option.
RFA is not a cure, and it’s not for everyone. Scientists are still studying how well it works for pancreatic cancer, so it’s not yet a standard treatment like surgery or chemotherapy.
Also, the equipment and skills needed are only available at certain hospitals. That’s why this success at UT Health San Antonio is so important—it shows what can happen when a skilled team works together with the latest tools.
Dr. Garg praised the teamwork that made the procedure possible. Everyone—from hospital leaders to nurses and technicians—helped get the equipment, schedule the treatment, and prepare the patient. Thanks to their efforts, this new and promising treatment was delivered successfully.
This achievement may open the door for more patients to receive RFA in the future, especially those with complex health issues who cannot have surgery. It also highlights the power of collaboration in bringing new treatments to people who need them most.
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