Banner-University Medical Center First in Arizona to Use New Cancer Treatment

Banner – University Medical Center Tucson is the first in Arizona to treat cancer patients using a new, minimally invasive technology called Aliya Pulsed Electric Field therapy, which allows physicians to target and break up cancerous tissue without surgery.

Dr. Billie Bixby, a Banner interventional pulmonologist, was the first physician in the state to deliver this breakthrough treatment endoscopically. Bixby and fellow interventional pulmonologists Dr. Madha Chopra, Dr. James Knepler and Dr. Darius Filsoof are helping expand access to this therapy for patients whose tumors are difficult to reach through traditional methods.

“This technique is unlike anything we’ve seen,” said Bixby. “It uses pulsed electric fields to disrupt cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue, and early clinical studies suggest it may even help activate the body’s immune response. We are proud to be among the first hospitals to offer this technology.”

One of the patients to benefit from this treatment is 72-year-old Barry Lebow, a Tucson resident and former smoker who had been undergoing routine CT scans due to his medical history. When a suspicious spot appeared in his right lung following a case of pneumonia in 2021, his care team at Banner acted quickly.

“Who would’ve thought you’d be grateful to get pneumonia?” Lebow joked, reflecting on how the illness led to the early detection of lung cancer.

Lebow’s treatment journey included chemotherapy, radiation and close monitoring. For a time, he was in the clear, but in late 2024, a follow-up scan revealed that the cancer had returned. That’s when his doctors recommended trying the new therapy given his side effects from standard therapy. The procedure, performed by Chopra, uses an electrified needle inserted through a scope to deliver precise electrical pulses to the tumor, breaking it apart without damaging nearby tissue.

Lebow underwent the treatment along with another round of chemotherapy. His most recent scan in January 2024 showed no solid tumor. “If I was younger, I would’ve been doing backflips,” Lebow said. “What better news could a cancer patient possibly get?”

Now, Lebow only goes in for routine check-ups and has had no major side effects from the treatment. He’s back to enjoying golf, yardwork and running a small business with his wife.

“I feel blessed that I came through this fairly easily,” he said. “I saw a lot of patients who looked like the treatment was harder on them than the disease.”

Chopra said he’s excited to offer this ground-breaking treatment option to more patients.

“It gives us another tool in the fight against advanced cancer,” he said. “I am confident that it has a positive impact for our patients,” he said.