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— During the past 15 years,
David Finch has survived prostate cancer, then lung cancer,
followed by head and neck cancer — only to discover
last year that the disease had reappeared in his remaining
right lung.
The news turned even more sobering when he learned from Monmouth
Medical Center radiation oncologist Sang Sim, M.D., that he could
no longer receive radiotherapy since he had reached his allowable
dosage of radiation during previous rounds of the cancer treatment.
Surgically removing the malignant tumor in his only lung was
ruled out as well.
That left the 78-year-old Middletown resident with making what
would become one of the most important decisions in his lifetime:
Following the expert advice of his Monmouth physicians, he underwent
radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a trailblazing procedure performed
by interventional radiologist Peter Park, M.D., who specializes
in minimally invasive, image-guided techniques for cancer and
other diseases.
Finch became the first patient at Monmouth Medical Center — and
is believed to be the first person in New Jersey —to undergo
RFA for the treatment of lung tumors that have resurfaced after
radiation therapy and cannot be surgically removed.
“It was my only option — either go with the RFA
or not. I decided to have the procedure, and I am very happy
that I did,” says Finch, who has completed two imaging
studies since the procedure, which have revealed no return of
tumor growth.
“This is a great sign in Mr. Finch’s recovery and
shows much promise for RFA as an effective treatment for lung
cancer when radiation therapy has not achieved successful results
and surgery is not an option,” says Dr. Sim, a member of
the medical team at Monmouth’s Institute for Advanced Radiation
Oncology.
The minimally invasive technique involves the delivery of monitored
and controlled levels of radiofrequency energy into the cancerous
tissue through an array of thin electrodes that heat and destroy
the targeted tissue.
In Finch’s case, the former smoker was first diagnosed
with prostate cancer 15 years ago and learned he had lung cancer
three years later. Six years after his left lung was removed,
the cancer reappeared in his right lung. He received radiation
treatment at that point and subsequently underwent a second successful
round of radiation treatments for a head and neck cancer. However,
more recently, he was noted to have a recurrence of his radiated
lung tumor.
“When it recurred once again, I discussed with Mr. Finch
he was no longer a candidate for radiation therapy and explained
the RFA option with him and how it was very new for the treatment
of lung cancer,” Dr. Sim says.
Dr. Park says that Finch was the “perfect candidate” for
RFA based on his medical history and current condition, including
the fact he has only one lung. “Under CT guidance, we’re
able to get the needle to the location of the tumor and then
deliver the high-energy radiofrequency waves to cook it — that
is heat the molecules to a high enough temperature to cause the
tissue to ablate, which results in cell death.”
Another benefit of RFA is that it can be performed repeatedly
if follow-up CT scans show residual tumor, explains Dr. Park,
who has since successfully performed the procedure on a second
lung cancer patient.
“RFA is the current buzz in interventional radiology,
and there will be many studies released that will document its
success — not only for lung cancer but for other applications,
including breast cancer,”” he says, adding that it
currently is being performed for the treatment of liver and bone
tumors.
Today, Finch says he’s as busy as ever, having just undergone
surgery at Monmouth Medical Center to have a pacemaker inserted
to help stabilize his heart rhythm. “Everything has worked
out beautifully,” says the grandfather of three, adding
that he’s able to breathe on his own without the assistance
of oxygen for several hours each day. “I’ll be undergoing
another CT (computed tomography) scan very soon to make sure
it stays that way.”
For more information on radiofrequency ablation, call Monmouth
Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care
System, at 732-923-6800.
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