A game-changing therapy for patients with advanced lung cancer

Fewer things are more frightening than learning you have cancer, especially if your diagnosis is late-stage cancer that has metastasized to the lungs.

However, a new procedure that recently became available at Advocate Condell Medical Center offers new hope to people facing metastatic lung cancer and other cancers that have spread to the lungs.

Advocate Health Care Pulmonologist Dr. Ammar Alqaid is among the first few Illinois physicians to address metastatic cancer to the lungs using the minimally invasive pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation therapy system. This innovative PEF system pinpoints cancerous lung nodules then destroys them with tiny electrical pulses. At the same time, the electric pulse technology activates the patient’s immune system to destroy any leftover cancer cells, as well as any new cancer cells that may appear in the lungs after treatment.

“This world-class technology enhances our ability to treat even the most challenging cancer cases,” says Dr. Alqaid. “We can now biopsy and remove lung cancer spots and metastatic pulmonary lesions effectively without the burden of prolonged recoveries or invasive surgeries.”

Typically, patients undergo PEF therapy as an outpatient procedure and leave the hospital that same day, similar to a routine navigational bronchoscopy procedure. And after PEF treatment, patients can immediately start additional standard of care options, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiotherapy.

“The PEF system marks a major milestone in cancer care, especially for our patients facing advanced cancer,” Dr. Alqaid adds. “This innovative approach offers real hope and access to new options that enable patients to preserve quality of life.”

Unlike traditional ablation procedures that destroy cancer cells with heat and sometimes affect nearby healthy lung tissue, the PEF technique delivers brief, non-thermal electrical pulses with so much precision it can minimize anesthesia needs and lengthy recovery times. The PEF procedure can be performed during both ultrasound and robot-assisted diagnostic bronchoscopies, allowing physicians to diagnose and treat cancer within the same minimally invasive session.

Dr. Alqaid is part of Advocate Condell’s multidisciplinary cancer care team, which continues to advance and deliver the most innovative and safest cancer treatments that improve outcomes for patients facing some of the most challenging cancer diagnoses.

Learn more about our nationally recognized cancer care services: Illinois | Wisconsin