The portable treatment device that’s stopping a liver cancer survivor’s tumor growth, giving him more time to do hobbies
George Fish and his wife of 48 years, Anne Marie, fill their daily schedules with a variety of activities.
“We have a calendar, and we fill it every day. We got stuff to do, and we keep going,” shared his wife. “My dad always said, ‘What you don't use, you lose.’ So we keep moving.
“Let's hope that we can keep doing what we're doing. We're fortunate and so lucky.”
And fortunate they are.
A Turn of Events
It was a regular day in February 2024 for the 73-year-old Macomb resident. He started his day by having lunch with some friends. Suddenly, he felt a horrific pain he had never felt before. His friends had to call his wife, and he was rushed to the hospital with massive internal bleeding. Emergency surgery saved his life. After surgery, doctors had scans done to see what the cause could be and ordered a biopsy. He spent eight days in the hospital. About a week after he was discharged, an oncologist called to tell him and Anne Marie that he had stage IV liver cancer.
The Fishes were shocked, especially because George had not experienced any symptoms before that day.
“They said they couldn’t operate,” Anne Marie explained. “So, they started with immunotherapy because that would give him an option of continuing the life that we have.”
At the same health system where he received emergency care, Fish began his immunotherapy treatment. He experienced no side effects, felt good, and could still participate in activities with his wife and friends. But the tumor continued to grow.
Next, his oncologist put him on a chemotherapy pill. Unfortunately, this treatment delivered the same results – no side effects, but the tumor was still growing.
“We have a lot of faith and believe in miracles,” shared Anne Marie.
Getting a Second Opinion Within Days
Not feeling confident in his current treatment plan, Fish was considering a second opinion. The treatment options he had tried were not working. He brought the idea to his oncologist, who encouraged him to explore his options.
“I was just looking for another avenue than what I was doing because I wasn’t getting any results,” he explained.
He already knew about the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. After a few conversations, he and his wife called 1-800-KARMANOS.
“When we called Karmanos, we talked to someone on a Monday and got all the records sent over,” explained Anne Marie. “We thought we’d probably get in for the appointment in about a month. Tuesday morning, we were out to breakfast before going bowling, and the phone rings – it’s Karmanos. She said, ‘Can you come in tomorrow?’ Which was a Wednesday. I thought that was a miracle.”
“The purpose of our second opinion clinic is to provide patients with expert review of their cancer diagnosis in a timely fashion, because we know how important it is to understand your options,” explained Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, medical oncologist and member of the Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Team at Karmanos. “And it’s the same for patients who are currently in treatment and want to understand if there could be a clinical trial or treatments that are not FDA-approved and are not accessible at other centers.”
In December 2024, the Fishes arrived at George’s second opinion appointment at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit and met Dr. Pasche.
“We do have a lot of faith in him,” stated Anne Marie.
“Easy going, explains everything thoroughly, and I may ask questions twice, but he puts up with me,” added George.
Dr. Pasche told George and Anne Marie about the TheraBionic P1 device, for which he was a candidate.
What Is This Thing?
Karmanos was the first cancer center to prescribe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved TheraBionic P1 device to patients outside clinical trials. Patients hold an iPhone-sized device connected by a wire to a metal spoon placed in the mouth. The device is small, portable, and delivers radiofrequency electromagnetic fields throughout the entire body, which block the growth of tumor cells in the liver without affecting normal cells.
“George was a perfect candidate for this treatment,” explained Dr. Pasche. “It is currently FDA-approved for adult patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC. HCC is the most common form of liver cancer. The treatment is approved for patients who have failed first- and second-line therapies, just like George.”
In December 2024, Fish became the second patient to be prescribed the TheraBionic P1 device after its FDA approval.
Fish described his thoughts when he saw the device. “It looks like it's out of Star Wars. What is this thing that I put on my tongue? Radio waves? And it's going to work? But I haven’t got much choice. Why not try it?”
After that first appointment with Dr. Pasche, and before he received the device, Fish did some research.
“I saw the FDA just approved it in September 2023, and I did some reading,” he described.
“They had 10 or 20 people on the trial that didn't have any choice, and their lives were at stake. So, what have I got to lose? Might as well. I don't know of any other options at this point.
The treatment is simple. Patients undergo one-hour treatment sessions, three times a day, in the comfort of their own homes.
“I put my feet up and watch TV.”
Fish said he hasn’t experienced any side effects.
“I feel great. I don’t have any problems. I lose one day a week doing this – 21 hours, but that’s it!”
It’s now been a year since Fish began using the device. He comes in every two months for imaging. So far, his scans have shown that his tumor is stable – there has been no growth.
“There’s a tolerance. If it grows, but at a small rate, it’s still considered acceptable or good. If it doesn’t grow, that’s even better. Dr. Pasche said I fall within that tolerance.”
Treatment with the TheraBionic P1 device has given Fish months that he and his wife weren’t sure he’d have, and it hasn’t interfered with his hobbies: golfing, walking, exercising, traveling, and chasing after another perfect 300 bowling game.
“One thing I can say is that I've had friends who have battled cancer, and I saw them with the chemo and get very sick. If this treatment could help many people, it would be a miracle because you can do it in your home. You do it at your own time. You don’t have to go to a hospital. And it doesn’t make you sick,” explained Anne Marie.
“So that's a miracle. If it works for people, it's a miracle.”
Second Opinions at Karmanos Give Patients Access to More Treatment Options
Believe it or not, physicians encourage patients to get a second opinion after a diagnosis because these types of appointments help patients and their families understand their treatment options. Patients can decide they want a second opinion at any time, even if they have already begun treatment. When patients come to Karmanos for a second opinion, they learn about clinical trials for which they may be eligible and newly approved treatments, such as the TheraBionic P1 device.
Call 1-800-KARMANOS or visit karmanos.org/secondopinion to see an oncologist who is an expert in treating the cancer you have been diagnosed with. Our oncology navigators will coordinate the receipt of all of the patient’s records and ensure you are scheduled for an appointment within seven days.