UMC Gets Another First for El Paso with New Treatment

UMC GETS ANOTHER FIRST FOR EL PASO WITH NEW TREATMENT
‘Freezing Balloon’ Used To Reduce Cancer Risk

EL PASO, Texas – In another exclusive-first at University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC), doctors this week began treating Barrett’s Esophagus with a new surgical “freezing balloon” procedure involving state-of-the-art surgical equipment and techniques.

The new tool at UMC: The C2 Cryoballoon. UMC is the only hospital in El Paso that treats Barrett's Esophagus and offers the C2 Cryoballoon treatment. Barrett's Esophagus is a common precancerous condition that affects 3.3 million adults in the United States and is the primary cause of esophagus cancer. Barrett's Esophagus is caused by chronic inflammation and repeated exposure to stomach acid that affects the tissue lining in the esophagus.

How it works: C2 Cryoballoon treatment gets rid of unhealthy, diseased or damaged tissue by freezing it away by spraying cold nitrous oxide into the balloon to reach the affected area. C2 Cryoballoon treatment has less side effects, provides better outcomes, patients report less pain after the treatment and it removes unhealthy cells without damaging healthy tissue.

“I am happy that we are able to bring this technology to El Paso,” said Jacob Cintron, President & CEO. “Our community will no longer have to travel to other cities, such as San Antonio or Houston for this procedure as they can now remain here with their loved ones and friends.”

With the addition of this new technology, UMC’s Center for Diagnostic & Advanced Endoscopy now has the entire spectrum of options available to treat the various severities and types of Barrett’s Esophagus for the El Paso community.

Dr. Antonio Mendoza-Ladd, a Texas Tech physician working at UMC, worked on three cases this week using the C2 Cryoballoon technology.

One of those patients, 87 year old, Ralph McCurdy was diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus via an endoscopy procedure. “My doctor referred me to UMC.” As Dr. Mendoza-Ladd explained, “this is important for our community so we are able to treat patients like Mr. McCurdy before they develop to a more severe stage. With his treatment we can treat the affected areas before a patient gets cancer and save them from surgery, chemotherapy and even save lives.”

C2 Cryoballoon treatment is now available at University Medical Center of El Paso. For information on services available at the Center for Diagnostic and Advanced Endoscopy, please visit Advanced Endoscopy.