Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville has become the first healthcare facility in the world to offer a new groundbreaking clinical trial to treat liver cancer.
NGMC Gainesville already is one of 25 sites in the world, as well as the only facility in Georgia, to offer an innovative form of liver cancer treatment called histotripsy – which uses high-intensity ultrasound waves to break down cancer tumors at a cellular level.
Different from conventional forms of treatment – such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, histotripsy does not involve incisions, heat or toxic chemicals, according to healthcare officials. This, in effect, can potentially reduce side effects and shorten the recovery process between treatments.
NGMC Gainesville’s Oncology Research team is now enrolling patients in BOOMBOX, a clinical trial to study qualified histotripsy patients for up to five years to improve standard treatment protocol.
“We’ve been using histotripsy for more than six months now, helping almost 50 people in their fight against cancer,” Dr. Nelson Royall, a liver surgeon who performed the first histotripsy procedure at NGMC, said. “Our team has fielded calls and emails from people from more than 20 states and several other countries who are interested in traveling to Gainesville for this revolutionary treatment option, which shows just how many people need help, and participating in the BOOMBOX clinical trial will hopefully improve and expand access to histotripsy over time.”
Royall and Dr. Terence Jackson, both with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Surgical Associates, are now among the few doctors in the world trained to provide histotripsy.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking effort to advance non-invasive treatment options for our cancer patients,” Jackson said. “This trial is a unique opportunity to bring the most progressive care to patients who need it most, and I’m proud to play a role in shaping the future of medicine.”
Dr. Andrew Johnson, a medical director of Oncology at NGMC and a medical oncologist with Longstreet Clinic, spoke to the significance of the announcement Monday.
“The fact that NGMC became the first hospital in the world to enroll patients in this national clinical trial shows just how committed we are to helping patients beat cancer,” he said. “When you look at the select few hospitals providing histotripsy across the nation, our program is literally alongside the likes of Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, MD Anderson and Johns Hopkins – and we treat all ranges of cancer right here in Georgia.”
To learn more about histotripsy at NGMC and how to get on the waitlist for evaluation, visit nghs.com/histotripsy. For more information about a patient’s eligibility for the clinical trial, call 678-943-3935.
