It's a minimally invasive way of dealing with tumors. In the RITA system, a catheter is attached to four prongs that encompass and deliver electrical energy to the tumor. Surgery is performed laparoscopically, through tiny incisions and with the use of small lighted cameras at the end of long tubes. As tissue temperatures rise above 113 degrees Fahrenheit, cell protein is permanently damaged, killing the cell. The liver is a frequent site to which cancer spreads, particularly from the colon.
Cancer is most dangerous when it goes to other areas in the body.
We would like to see them earlier, after chemotherapy, rather than waiting until they get into late stages of disease. Doctors using RITA need to know the exact location, size, shape and orientation of a cancerous tumor. Therapy can be applied to a range of different sized tumors. We might take four or five passes with RITA, see what tumor remains to be treated, and re-treat. He is amazed at how well patients have done to date.