GEORGIA HOSPITAL IS THE FIRST AND ONLY IN STATE TO OFFER NON-INVASIVE LIVER CANCER TREATMENT

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Mar 14, 2024, 17:20 ET

GAINESVILLE, Ga., March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients in the southeast now have an innovative, non-invasive treatment option for liver cancer tumors. In a groundbreaking leap forward, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has become the only hospital in Georgia – and one of the few in the United States – to offer a new, progressive form of cancer treatment known as histotripsy.

Northeast Georgia Medical Center is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties.

NGHS is anchored by Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s five hospital campuses – NGMC Gainesville, NGMC Braselton, NGMC Barrow, NGMC Habersham and NGMC Lumpkin – with a total of more than 850 beds and more than 1,300 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. It is our mission to improve the health of our community in all we do.

Dr. Nelson Royall is a recognized national leader in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, including robotic surgery, and complex diseases such as neuroendocrine tumors, polyposis syndromes, and pancreatitis.

Dr. Terence Jackson specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly esophageal, gastric biliary tract, liver, pancreatic and colon and rectal malignancies.

"Histotripsy represents the latest advancement in cancer care, using soundwaves – not surgery – to eliminate cancerous tissue," said Nelson Royall, MD, a surgeon with Northeast Georgia Health System's employed physicians group, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group. "The focused ultrasound waves precisely break down targeted tissues and eliminate tumors through sonic beam therapy."

NGMC's physicians perform histotripsy by using the Edison System, a sophisticated platform that delivers very short pulses to create a "bubble cloud" that is designed to mechanically destroy and liquefy targeted liver tumors, without any incisions or needles. Histotripsy has been FDA-approved for the treatment of cancerous liver tissue since October 2023.

"One of the key advantages of histotripsy is its ability to achieve precise tissue destruction without the need for incisions or invasive procedures," said Terence Jackson, MD, another surgeon with NGPG. "Histotripsy allows patients to have a quicker and easier recovery. I look forward to performing histotripsy on patients, along with Dr. Royall, later this year."

Any patient with liver tumors is a potential candidate for histotripsy. This includes tumors that have formed within the liver or those that have spread to the liver from other organs. NGMC is the first and only health system in Georgia, and most of the southeast, to offer histotripsy.

For more information about histotripsy at NGMC, visit nghs.com/histo

ABOUT NORTHEAST GEORGIA MEDICAL CENTER

Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest, the five NGMC campuses have a total of more than 850 beds and more than 1,300 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at nghs.com.

SOURCE Northeast Georgia Health System