Moffitt Using New Approach To Treat Pancreatic Cancer
When 83-year-old Richard Martin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024, he underwent 22 rounds of chemotherapy followed by radiation.
He wasn’t a candidate for surgery because of his tumor’s proximity to a vein, but a new therapy platform being utilized at Moffitt Cancer Center offered him another treatment option.
More Precise Chemotherapy Delivery
The Trans-Arterial Micro-Perfusion (TAMP™) therapy platform is used to directly target tumors like advanced pancreatic cancer.
It uses a pressure-mediated catheter device created by RenovoRx, called RenovoCath®, which is inserted through a small incision made in the leg and into an artery adjacent to the tumor. Image guidance is used to position the device next to the tumor and deliver chemotherapy at the tumor site.
“Since it is a direct infusion of chemotherapy into the cancer itself, the drug concentration of chemotherapy is very high in the tumor and there is minimal systemic exposure,” said gastrointestinal oncologist Dae Won Kim, MD.
High pressure helps deliver the drug directly to the site of the tumor using RenovoRX’s catheter device.
An Alternative to Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
This device is particularly beneficial in cases where patients are unable to undergo surgery. Only about 20% of pancreatic cancer patients are eligible for surgery at the time of diagnosis due to tumor location or advanced disease.
Martin's procedure was performed by Moffitt’s Interventional Radiology team. He says his tumor has been shrinking since receiving the treatment, and he continues to remain hopeful.
“It can be overwhelming after a diagnosis,” Martin said. “I am very thankful for my wife and my daughter who have continued to be very supportive.”
Kim says the use of this local therapeutic approach can also limit the number of side effects associated with systemic chemotherapy.
“Systemic chemotherapy is associated with several significant adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, fatigue, low blood count and diarrhea,” he explained. “This approach can minimize adverse events compared with systemic chemotherapy and improve the quality of life for patients.”
So far, 10 Moffitt patients, including Martin, have received the treatment.
