Surgical oncologists and other experts at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute are now providing game-changing treatment for certain types of liver tumors in patients who might not otherwise be eligible to undergo surgery. This comprehensive multidisciplinary program offers patients on Long Island and people from other areas in the United States to receive innovative liver cancer treatment, which may help some patients become disease-free.
The therapy includes a device called a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump that provides treatment for colorectal cancer spread to the liver or bile duct cancers within the liver. A specially trained surgical oncologist implants the pump, about the size of a hockey puck, in the abdomen that precisely delivers chemotherapy to tumors in the liver via the hepatic artery to shrink tumors. The chemotherapy used has up to 400 times higher drug concentration as compared to traditional chemotherapy, with the pump being refilled every few weeks. The targeted liver chemotherapy also limits potential side effects to the body.
Sepideh Gholami, MD, surgical director of the Northwell Cancer Institute’s Liver Multidisciplinary Clinic and director of the center’s Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Program, developed the targeted liver cancer therapy program at Northwell.
“Approximately half of patients with colorectal cancer will develop liver metastases in their lifetime,” said Dr. Gholami. “Of these patients only a small percentage of them are eligible for liver surgery and most of these patients will have a recurrence of their disease despite traditional systemic chemotherapy. Treatment with HAI pump therapy has been shown to shrink tumors in patients to a point where tumors can be surgically resected, extending their overall survival even more and decreasing the rate of the tumor coming back.”
Prior to joining Northwell Health from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, CA, Dr. Gholami implanted an HAI pump into her patient, Cheryl Andresen, now 67, who was diagnosed with colon cancer that spread to her liver, where six large tumors were found. Dr. Gholami also removed her patient’s gallbladder and resected some tumor in her liver in June 2022. After traditional chemotherapy and approximately seven months of the HAI therapy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that the rest of the tumors shrunk considerably. The HAI pump, developed by the Boston-based company Intera Oncology, combined with surgery, gave Ms. Andresen newfound hope.
Ms. Andresen, who lives in the small California town of Truckee near Lake Tahoe with her husband, Larry, of 46 years, learned Dr. Gholami was recruited by Northwell earlier this year to start an HAI pump program in New York. Given the confidence she felt with her surgeon, Ms. Andresen decided to have her second major surgery by Dr. Gholami at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Hospital at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park.
Ms. Andresen and her husband arrived on Long Island for presurgical testing four days before the scheduled surgery on March 13, 2023. Avid hikers and nature lovers, the couple squeezed in a trip to Montauk before surgery, saying the visit to the scenic East End boosted their positive outlook toward surgery and recovery on Long Island.
To perform the complex surgery, Dr. Gholami teamed up with John Ricci, MD, chief of colorectal surgery at LIJ Medical Center. Dr. Gholami first resected the liver, removing the tumors. Then Dr. Ricci removed two tumors in the colon. Ms. Andresen tolerated the procedure well and spent 11 days in the hospital. After discharge, the couple spent another two weeks on Long Island for follow up and to ensure safe travel back to their home. In early June, almost 18 months after being diagnosed with cancer, Ms. Andresen’s MRI scan showed she was cancer-free. Her results showed negative tumor markers and a new blood test looked at circulating tumor DNA.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Dr. Gholami saved my life,” said Ms. Andresen. “I could have had my surgery with another doctor, but I felt very secure in her hands…she is compassionate and truly made me feel like family. She is so passionate about what she does and is on a mission to spread the word about the pump to help other patients who face a serious cancer diagnosis.”
Dr. Gholami credits the success of the Liver Multidisciplinary Clinic to a long list of team members for the superb care they provide to patients. “It’s my fellow surgical oncologists, nurse practitioners, medical oncologists, pharmacists, navigators, clinicians and ancillary staff that ensure we are delivering care to patients in a highly personalized fashion,” she said. “We strive to provide high-quality care and the best possible outcomes for our patients. We want people in the region and beyond to know we are here, and we can help them.”
“I feel I’m totally back to normal,” said Ms. Andresen, who noted Dr. Gholami and clinicians at the Northwell Cancer Institute have been “amazing” in following up with her in CA. “I’m a doer, I have a lot of energy now. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my four grandchildren and getting away with my husband to our annual vacation in Hawaii this winter – something we couldn’t do last year.”
To make an appointment or to reach a nurse navigator through Northwell’s Cancer Care Direct, call 833-223-4732 or online at cancercaredirect@northwell.edu.
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