DHR Health has begun offering endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) for pancreatic tumors in the Rio Grande Valley, but its broader benefits remain under study and may depend on tumor type. Dr. Prateek Harne, an interventional gastroenterologist at DHR Health, has treated 14 patients with the procedure, according to MyRGV.com. The first local patient, San Juana Fernandez, was scheduled for her fourth session on November 20. Harne said he hopes DHR Health can join an ongoing multicenter clinical trial.
EUS-RFA uses an endoscope to locate a tumor and deliver controlled heat through a needle, in an outpatient procedure, according to MyRGV.com. Harne told the outlet that heat kills some tumor cells and may make the remaining mass more porous, potentially helping chemotherapy drugs penetrate. He also explained that pancreatic tumors can develop a hard shell that impedes chemotherapy.
Potential and Evidence
Harne told MyRGV.com that he is watching for a possible abscopal effect, in which tumors not directly treated may shrink or disappear after another tumor is ablated. He likened the possibility to a vaccine, but it is not an established outcome for every patient. He also said combining EUS-RFA with chemotherapy could be more impactful than either approach alone.
According to the report, DHR Health is one of five facilities in the country offering EUS-RFA, and Houston is the nearest other site. Harne said the procedure is undergoing its third clinical trial there; he described the first two trials as providing safety and technical data as well as survival benefits. He hopes DHR Health will join the ongoing multicenter trial. Harne said patients may be considered if they have not had surgery or are not scheduled for it in the following week.
Four Sessions, Then a Scan
The initial protocol calls for four sessions, spaced four weeks apart. Each appointment lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, followed by a few hours of observation before patients go home the same day, according to MyRGV.com. After the fourth session, a physician scans the abdomen to assess the tumor’s response and determine next steps.
Fernandez, 73, was the first pancreatic cancer patient in the Rio Grande Valley to undergo EUS-RFA. Harne told MyRGV.com that she had been deemed non-surgical and was not a candidate for surgery before beginning treatment. Her fourth session was scheduled for November 20; Harne said she was doing great.
A Doctor's Bedside Approach
Harne told MyRGV.com that he gives patients his phone number so they can reach him directly with questions or concerns, a practice he said he learned from his mother, an OB-GYN. National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month is observed each November, as reported by MyRGV.com.
Research on EUS-RFA includes a retrospective study of 46 patients with small, biopsy-confirmed pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors treated at seven referral centers between 2021 and 2024. All procedures were technically successful, and follow-up imaging after an average of nearly 16 months showed a complete or partial response in 91% of patients, according to news.gastro.org. Seven patients (15%) had adverse events, most described as mild abdominal pain or pancreatitis. The study’s authors said the findings may support EUS-RFA as an option for selected patients with small, localized tumors who want to avoid surgery or are poor surgical candidates, while noting limitations including the retrospective design, varying techniques and small sample. These results concern pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and do not establish outcomes for Fernandez’s cancer type.
How the Evidence Fits Current Care
The National Cancer Institute says surgical resection, when feasible, remains the primary treatment modality for pancreatic cancer. That statement does not establish EUS-RFA as standard treatment for tumors that cannot be removed; the evidence described here remains under study.
The National Cancer Institute reports an overall five-year relative survival rate of 13% for pancreatic cancer, while cautioning that population statistics cannot predict an individual patient’s outcome. Its survival information refers to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and notes that prognosis differs for other types, including pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. That distinction matters because the 46-patient EUS-RFA study summarized above involved neuroendocrine tumors and does not establish outcomes for Fernandez’s cancer type.
Pancreatic cancer remains notoriously difficult to treat broadly. The five-year combined survival rate sits at 13%, though it climbs to 44% when the disease is caught at a localized stage, according to Norton Healthcare, which introduced its own EUS-RFA program in Kentucky on Oct. 10, 2025, under Dr. William B. Evans III, the first and only physician in that state to perform the procedure. Norton Healthcare describes EUS-RFA as offering new hope for inoperable or difficult-to-treat tumors, while stressing that it is not a cure for pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer incidence in the Valley
For 2019–2023, the age-adjusted pancreatic cancer incidence rate was 10.9 cases per 100,000 in Hidalgo County and 11.6 per 100,000 in Cameron County, according to State Cancer Profiles, a resource from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These age-adjusted rates are not annual case counts, and the county figures alone do not establish how the local rates compare with Texas overall.
