George’s Nanoknife Cancer Treatment
The Nanoknife uses electrical currents to destroy the tumor with a better margin of clearance, meaning it should have a higher chance of removing all of the cancer. “We start the treatment with the passage of current between the electrodes,” said Dr. Ruben Olivares, urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, to WNDU. “The main idea here is the electrical current; it’s able to break up the cell wall.” But as the electric pulses kill the tumor, they leave the healthy tissue around it. “This is an outpatient procedure,” says Olivares. “The patient leaves the hospital the same day of the surgery with a catheter.”
Dr. Sam Godfrey, science engagement lead at Cancer Research UK, describes the Nanoknife as a state of the art, experimental treatment, to BBC News. It’s also considered a less-invasive form of treatment, compared to traditional operations that remove tumors. And in this case, George’s “cutting edge surgical treatment will inform the treatment of children around the world.”
George was the youngest person in the world to undergo the Nanoknife procedure. He was also the first child in the United Kingdom with his liver treated with the Nanoknife. And after 18 months in a medical nightmare, George was cancer-free and ready for pre-school. For his bravery throughout the treatment, George was awarded the Children & Young People Star Award from Cancer Research UK.
