Long Islanders now have more options when facing a diagnosis of
cancer. Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® is the only Long Island hospital offering Radiofrequency Ablation treatment for those diagnosed with bile duct and pancreatic cancers.

Just ask New York City resident, Joseph Blau, 88, who received Long Island’s first Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography-guided RFA for his bile duct cancer.
Blau was initially diagnosed with bile duct cancer in November of 2021 and had a temporary plastic stent placed to alleviate a blockage in his bile duct.

After consulting with Catholic Health Chair of Cancer Services and Director of The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Bhoomi Mehrotra to replace the temporary stent with a larger, more robust metal one and with the consensus of the weekly multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Tumor Board, it was determined that St. Francis’s Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology Christopher J. DiMaio would perform the RFA treatment of the cancer.

In exploring the patient’s various treatment options, the group’s agreed that RFA  was an excellent option for Blau given the minimally-invasive nature of the procedure and the ability to maintain his quality of life.
RFA is an alternative to surgery often used as a pain management treatment to provide lasting relief for people with chronic pain, especially in the lower back and neck. When used for cancer, this minimally invasive treatment uses high-frequency electrical energy to heat and destroy cancer cells.

The treatment can be delivered by either ERCP (a combination of an X-ray and endoscope) or endoscopic ultrasound.
“Oncology patients often require robust services. Therefore, it’s important that we continue to bring innovative treatments to our local communities,” said Mehrotra. “We are delighted to have this ‘cutting-edge’ technology here at St. Francis so we can continue to provide the best care for our patients.”
“The decision to use RFA must be individualized for each patient,” said DiMaio. “Decisions regarding cancer are best made in a multidisciplinary manner involving members of medical, oncology, surgery, and radiation oncology, which is the standard practice at St. Francis.”
“The procedure was very quick and painless; I was in and out in an hour and a half,” said Blau. “All of the physicians were very nice and provided me with great care.”
Always looking for new, innovative treatment options, Catholic Heath also began a partnership with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital in 2020 to participate in many exclusive clinical trials designed to assess new therapies for cancer patients.

This partnership offers unique opportunities for studies related to the latest research in the field of cancer treatments. The health system continues to enhance its existing programs, including expanding cancer screening programs and hiring disease-specific surgical oncologists where needed.
“As technology continues to advance and evolve, our team works tirelessly to remain at the forefront of exceptional patient care,” said St. Francis President Charles L. Lucore. “We are excited to be the first and only on Long Island to offer this treatment to our patients.”