Innovative Treatment at Duke Offers Hope to Some People with Lung Cancer

During PEF ablation, a needle is passed into the tumor, which delivers short pulses of electrical current into the tumor. The current damages the tumor cell membrane and leads to its death. PEF ablation also mobilizes the body’s immune system to fight the tumor. “There are anecdotal cases in which the tumor was treated on one side and the untreated tumor on the other side responded,” added Dr. Mahmood.

Using different types of ablation — applying extreme heat, cold or other methods to destroy abnormal tissue — to treat lung cancer isn’t new. But Dr. Mahmood said PEF ablation has distinct advantages and fewer drawbacks than other types. It allows the specialist to be very precise in the area that they target. It avoids the risks associated with heat or frostbite-like injuries, such as excessive tissue damage. In addition, because of the slow tumor death, the body’s immune cells can recognize the tumor and attack it more effectively.  

PEF ablation has been used in interventional radiology for more than a year, but the FDA has recently cleared it for bronchoscopic use. During bronchoscopic PEF ablation, a thin, flexible tube with a light and lens called a bronchoscope is inserted into the mouth to reach the lungs, and the needle is passed down through the scope into the tumor. Bronchoscopic PEF ablation is minimally invasive, which means people may experience little or no pain and a quicker recovery compared to traditional surgical approaches.

Duke is currently enrolling participants into clinical trials to study PEF ablation, as well as offering it to some people outside of clinical trials who have progressed through the standard treatment for lung cancer or other cancers metastasized to the lungs. “We’ll have more information about this in a year, but preliminary data have shown some promising results,” said Dr. Mahmood.