WVU Medicine Experts First in Nation to Use Innovative Endoscopy-Guided Microwave Therapy to Treat Pancreatic Lesions

A team of WVU Medicine experts took another step in providing innovative treatment for pancreatic cancer,making them first in the nation to use cutting-edge technology to do it.

WVU Cancer Institute providers were treating a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma involving the pancreas. After undergoing kidney surgery to remove the primary tumor followed by chemotherapy, new imaging showed the patient had metastatic pancreatic lesions. Surgical resection was considered a high risk. A team from the Pancreato-Biliary, Surgical and Medical Oncology departments reviewed options and presented a plan for the patient that would be minimally invasive and safer than complex surgery.

Using an endoscopic ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (EUS-MWA), the team, led by Shailendra Singh, M.D., gastroenterologist and endoscopist atthe WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, was able to treat the pancreatic lesion – the first in the United States to do so.

During the procedure, physicians use an endoscope equipped with ultrasound imaging to precisely guide a thin needle into the pancreatic tumor, where controlled microwave energy is delivered to heat and destroy the targeted tissue while sparing surrounding normal structures.

“Microwave ablation provides precise, controlled, and homogeneous energy delivery, enabling highly targeted therapy for pancreatic lesions,” Dr. Singh said. “We are excited to expand the frontier of interventional EUS with this new technology and transform care for patients with pancreatic malignancies.”

A follow-up PET scan revealed no significant metabolic activity in the previously treated lesion, indicating marked improvement. Doctors will continue to monitor the patient and provide additional therapy as needed.

Each year, more than 495,000 patients worldwide are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The WVU Cancer Institute is an established national leader in endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for pancreatic tumors and pain management.

Under Singh’s leadership, the institution has pioneered advanced EUS-based treatments for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, insulinomas, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and cancer-related pain. The EUS-MWA procedure is just another step in building endoscopic innovation to treat this form of cancer.

Singh added that EUS-guided ablations combine real-time endoscopic ultrasound imaging with targeted energy delivery to remove deep pancreatic or gastrointestinal tumors that were previously difficult or impossible to access surgically.

“The introduction of EUS-guided microwave ablation, alongside traditional radiofrequency ablation, further broadens therapeutic techniques available, enhancing precision, efficiency, and safety, all through a single endoscopic approach,” he said. “We want to take care of our patients, and this is another positive step in the innovative care we can offer in cancer treatment.”