Innovation in Pancreatic Cancer Care: UT Health San Antonio's Breakthrough with Radiofrequency Ablation

UT Health San Antonio performed the first regional endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for an inoperable pancreatic cancer patient, offering a less‑invasive, tumor‑directed palliative option for patients who cannot tolerate surgery or systemic therapy because of severe comorbidity.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a local, probe‑based thermal technique that can reduce tumor bulk and relieve symptoms when surgery or systemic therapy are not viable. By concentrating energy delivery to the lesion, RFA minimizes systemic exposure and fills a practical gap for carefully selected inoperable patients who need focused palliation.

The team used an endoscopic ultrasound–guided approach led by interventional endoscopy, performed under monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia depending on patient risk. Selection prioritized an inoperable primary pancreatic tumor and substantial comorbidities that precluded standard surgical or systemic routes. The immediate technical goals were controlled probe‑mediated thermal necrosis of the target lesion and short‑term symptom palliation—choices that limit physiologic stress while enabling focal tumor treatment in frail patients.

In the single‑case report the patient tolerated the procedure without immediate major complications and had early symptom improvement with localized tumor effect on initial assessment. There were no peri‑procedural deaths or unplanned returns to the operating room in the immediate course. That safety signal is reassuring but inherently limited by single‑case context and short follow‑up.

Adoption proceeded through multidisciplinary case review with interventional endoscopy, surgical oncology, medical oncology and anesthesiology collaborating on selection and peri‑procedural planning. Interventional endoscopy performed the ablation, oncology advised systemic strategy, and anesthesiology tailored peri‑procedural care; informed consent emphasized the procedure’s experimental status and selection criteria. Programmatic diffusion will require hands‑on training, written protocols and prospective outcome tracking. The group plans registry enrollment, expanded case series and prospective trials as institutional follow‑up.