Pancreatic cancer · Interventional immuno-oncology
A needle treatment that uses your own tumor to teach your immune system to recognize the cancer.
We combine PEF ablation with immunotherapy injected directly into the tumor — for locally advanced, unresectable, or treatment-resistant pancreatic cancer.
In plain terms
What we do, in three paragraphs.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat — for advanced disease, standard care usually focuses on extending life rather than achieving remission. Our approach treats the tumor directly and tries to turn it against the cancer. In one outpatient session, through a single needle, we combine two things: ablation (destroying the tumor from the inside with energy instead of cutting it out) and intratumoral immunotherapy (immune-activating drugs injected straight into the tumor rather than through an IV drip, so far more of the drug reaches the cancer). For the pancreas we use PEF — pulsed electric fields, a non-heat energy — because it can safely treat tumors wrapped around major blood vessels, where surgery and heat-based methods can’t go.
Most pancreatic tumors are “cold” — invisible to your immune system. Breaking up the tumor with PEF spills out its hidden “fingerprints” and turns it “hot”: something your immune system can finally see and attack. Injecting immunotherapy into that same spot turns your own tumor into a personalized vaccine — what we call AblationVax. The goal isn’t only to shrink one tumor but to trigger the abscopal effect (treating one tumor prompts your immune system to hunt cancer elsewhere in the body) plus lasting immune memory. For pancreatic cancer specifically we add a CD40 agonist — which “wakes up” the immune system to recognize pancreatic tumors that normally hide — and agents targeting KRAS, a mutation in roughly 9 of 10 pancreatic cancers, long considered “undruggable.”
This works alongside your current care, not instead of it: we coordinate with your oncologist and chemo or radiation team, and we support the whole patient — including microbiome optimization, since gut bacteria strongly influence how well immunotherapy works. Most patients finish treatment in about a week, as outpatients, after our team reviews your scans. Results vary, and pancreatic cancer remains a serious diagnosis that requires full evaluation.
Real outcomes
Stage IV patients with no evidence of disease.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat. Standard care for stage IV disease focuses on extending life by weeks to months — not remission. We are seeing something different: multiple stage IV patients with no evidence of disease after PEF ablation combined with intratumoral immunotherapy.
Individual results vary. These outcomes represent specific patient cases and are not guaranteed for all patients. Pancreatic cancer remains a serious diagnosis requiring comprehensive evaluation.
See it from the patients
Patient story
Stage 4 pancreatic cancer
Patient story
Challenging the odds
How it works
PEF ablation plus intratumoral immunotherapy
These are individual patient experiences and are not a promise of results. Every case is evaluated individually.
Where our approach fits
Treatment options by stage.
Find your diagnosis below to see what standard care offers, where we add to it, and what role our approach plays.
Resectable — surgical candidates
Pre-surgical priming
Borderline resectable
Downstaging + immunity
Metastatic — stage IV
Abscopal strategy
Metastatic disease: re-engaging an exhausted immune system.
Repeated rounds of systemic chemotherapy, radiation, or IV immunotherapy can leave the immune system exhausted. Our approach aims to re-engage and re-activate it — delivering immune stimulation inside the tumor, where antigen presentation happens, rather than through the bloodstream.
Beyond ablation alone
Destroy the tumor, then teach your immune system to finish the job.
Other centers offer IRE or PEF ablation for unresectable pancreatic tumors. We go further: immediately after ablation, we inject immunotherapy drugs into the treated tumor — creating what we call AblationVax, effectively turning your tumor into a personalized cancer vaccine.
Why this approach for pancreatic cancer.
In plain language — open the clinical detail on any card if you want the terminology.
Treats near critical structures
PEF ablation uses electrical pulses, not heat. That means we can treat tumors wrapped around major blood vessels — where heat-based ablation would cause damage.
Clinical detail +
Non-thermal PEF permits treatment of tumors encasing the superior mesenteric artery, celiac axis, or portal vein without thermal injury to vessel walls.
Wakes up the immune system
Pancreatic tumors normally hide from your immune system. Our approach exposes the tumor to it — then amplifies the response with drugs injected on the spot.
Clinical detail +
Ablation releases tumor antigens and danger signals (DAMPs) that recruit immune cells, converting immunologically “cold” tumors “hot”; intratumoral immunotherapy amplifies the response.
Aims at cancer everywhere
The goal is not just shrinking one tumor. Treating it can teach your immune system to recognize and attack cancer anywhere in the body.
Clinical detail +
Combined ablation + intratumoral immunotherapy yields stronger immune responses than either alone; the goal is the abscopal effect — a sustained systemic attack on distant metastases.
Pancreatic-specific breakthrough
CD40 agonist + KRAS targeting: making the immune system see pancreatic cancer.
“Several years ago, we made a major breakthrough in pancreatic cancer treatment with a new approach using CD40 agonist — one of the first immunotherapy drugs that allows the immune system to actually see pancreatic tumors and mount an effective response.”
CD40 agonist
Activates dendritic cells and macrophages — “waking up” the immune system to recognize pancreatic tumors that normally evade surveillance.
KRAS targeting
KRAS mutations occur in ~90% of pancreatic cancers and were long considered undruggable. New agents and delivery methods are changing that.
The combination
CD40 agonist + KRAS-targeting agents, delivered directly into the tumor alongside ablation — producing responses in a disease where they have historically been rare.
“CD40 is my personal favorite immune-stimulatory agent — I often nickname it the Swiss army knife of anti-cancer immune responses, as it does a lot of jobs and it does them all fairly well. One of the best examples is pancreatic cancer — many of our pancreatic cancer patients have responded well to the drug.”
Beyond the procedure: whole-patient support.
We optimize your entire system for the best possible response — and coordinate with the team you already have.
Gut microbiome optimization
Diet, probiotics, and related therapies to support a stronger immunotherapy response.
Off-label protocols
Strategic use of repurposed medications to enhance immune response.
Personalized cocktails
Multi-agent immunotherapy tailored to your specific cancer.
Oncologist coordination
We work alongside your current chemo and radiation team.
What to expect
Your path to treatment.
Case review
Upload CT, MRI, or PET scans. Dr. Williams and team personally evaluate your case, followed by a video consultation on your situation and candidacy.
Protocol design
A personalized intratumoral cocktail — CD40 agonist, checkpoint inhibitors, KRAS-targeting agents, and others — based on your tumor’s immune and genetic profile.
Procedure week
An image-guided needle delivers PEF ablation, then injects immunotherapy directly into the treated tumor bed.
Follow-up
Regular labs and imaging, coordination with your home oncology team, and repeat procedures as indicated.
Is this right for you?
You may be a candidate if:
- ✓Diagnosed with locally advanced or unresectable pancreatic cancer
- ✓Told surgery is too risky or not possible
- ✓Tumor encasing the superior mesenteric artery, celiac axis, or portal vein
- ✓Cancer progressing despite chemo, radiation, or systemic immunotherapy
- ✓Looking to add immune activation to your current treatment plan
- ✓Seeking options beyond what’s available in your home country
It may not be suitable if:
- —Liver failure
- —Very poor performance status (unable to travel)
- —Active severe infection
- —Uncorrectable bleeding disorders
Each case is individually evaluated. Submit your scans for a personalized assessment.
Track record
Pioneering pancreatic cancer innovation since 2008.
Dr. Williams pioneered cryoablation for pancreatic cancer in 2008 — one of the most technically challenging ablation procedures due to the organ’s location and sensitivity. Since then, he has developed increasingly sophisticated approaches combining ablation with intratumoral immunotherapy as Director of Interventional Oncology and Immunotherapy at the Williams Cancer Institute, and co-authored The Immunity Solution on immune-based cancer treatment.
Getting started
For international and U.S. patients.
Remote case review
Upload scans and records. Every pancreatic case is personally evaluated by Dr. Williams and his team.
Virtual consultation
A video appointment to discuss your case, answer questions, and plan treatment before you travel.
Treatment week
Most patients complete treatment in one week. Locations: Beverly Hills, San Jose del Cabo, and Mexico City.
Complimentary evaluation.
Upload your CT, MRI, or PET scans and Dr. Williams’ team will personally review your case — no cost, no obligation.
Or email info@williamscancerinstitute.com
