ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In this 2-part series, Dr. Osman Ahmed from University of Chicago covers liver-directed therapies for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs or neuroendocrine cancer). In this first episode, he outlines the types of liver-directed therapies and elaborates on ablative techniques including the newest technique, histotripsy. Listen to a frank discussion of how histotripsy works, when it might be used, and what its current limitations are.

TOP TEN QUESTIONS ABOUT LIVER-DIRECTED THERAPY INCLUDING HISTOTRIPSY:

1. What is liver-directed therapy? How does it work? Is this considered “surgery”? What is a surgery and what is a “procedure?”
2. What are the types of liver-directed therapies used for neuroendocrine cancer? 
3. Which neuroendocrine cancers are they used for and when are they used? How do you decide who is a good candidate and if it will be effective?
4. When are liver-directed therapies NOT used? Can someone who has had a Whipple undergo liver-directed therapy?
5. What is the ablation zone? What is a heat sink effect?
6. What is histotripsy? How does it work?
7. When is histotripsy used (tumor grade, type of tumor - PNET/lung NET, size, number of tumor, location)? Can they be used for liver tumors even if there are tumors outside the liver?
8. What are the limitations to histotripsy? 
9. What happens to the liver tissue after ablation? What are the results or success rates of patients being treated? Can histotripsy “cure” NET? 
10. How do you decide between the various types of liver-directed therapies? 

MEET DR. OSMAN AHMED:

Osman Ahmed, MD, is an expert vascular and interventional radiologist who diagnoses and treats a wide range of conditions. Using image-guided technology and small, sophisticated instruments, Dr. Ahmed performs minimally invasive procedures for acute and chronic deep vein thrombosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, peripheral vascular disease, liver/bone/lung/kidney cancer, spinal fractures, uterine fibroids and more. He also implants inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, which prevent a blood clot from traveling around the body or creating a blockage.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Ahmed researches novel treatment options that improve outcomes for patients. His research on liver cancer, IVC filters and venous diseases has been published in several high-impact, peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Radiology, Chest, Journal of American College of Radiology, and Journal of Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Ahmed also believes in the importance of educating medical students, residents, fellowships and peers in order to enhance health care across the world. He has been invited to speak at a number of symposiums, practicums and national/international meetings about the newest advancements in interventional radiology.

Visit lacnets.org/podcast/38 for the podcast, transcript, and resources. 

For more information, visit LACNETS.org.