Amman – May 23, 2023

A medical team at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) has succeeded in performing the first operation of its kind in Jordan and the region, for a patient suffering from liver cancer at the age of (65). The team removed a liver tumor the size of 2cm located between the left and middle hepatic vein using nanotechnology (Nanoknife), which is the latest method of non-thermal cauterization. The device uses computed tomography (also called interventional radiology). The operation took about two hours, and the patient left the center the next morning.

The Director General of the center, Dr. Asem Mansour, stated that KHCC will remain a pioneer in keeping pace with the latest scientific findings in the treatment of oncology, in order to provide optimal medical and therapeutic care for cancer patients in Jordan and the Arab region. He praised the tremendous efforts adopted by the center in the field of research and clinical trials in order to provide new methods for treating cancer.

Dr. Khalil Al-Qararha, Consultant Interventional Radiologist, said that this new technique is effective at eliminating cancerous tumors that are less than 3cm in size, and those that cannot be removed surgically, with a high success rate that may reach more than 85%.

He stressed that what distinguishes this technique is that it does not affect the integrity of the veins and arteries adjacent to the tumor to be removed, and does not affect the bile ducts if used to eliminate tumors of the liver and pancreas. He pointed out that this technique is used to eliminate tumors of the liver and pancreas, and more recently to eradicate prostate tumors that are adjacent to vital parts such as veins and main arteries that do not allow surgical removal and do not allow the use of other cautery techniques.

He explained that this surgical technique is considered one of the latest techniques for cauterizing tumors by means of interventional radiology, as it does not affect the temperature of the tumor, like other cauterization techniques. It is based on inserting one or more thin probes into the tumor, which delivers high-voltage, low-energy direct current pulses to induce penetration of the cell’s plasma membrane and create Nano-holes in it to disrupt the cellular homeostasis, so the cancer cell dies due to necrosis caused by membrane rupture or secondary breakdown of the membrane. This process does not lead to an increase in the temperature of the cell, and thus the cancer cells are destroyed without affecting the vital parts adjacent to the tumor such as arteries and veins.

Al-Qararha also stated that the interventional radiology department at the center offers the latest tumor cauterization techniques used in the most advanced cancer treatment centers in the world, such as radio ablation, microwave ablation, and cryoablation.