REGINA — A Saskatchewan man with pancreatic cancer is campaigning to have a new type of equipment made available for his treatment, but the province says it isn't yet covered by medicare.
Dave Romanow was at the legislature on Monday, where he explained several rounds of chemotherapy and two traditional surgeries have failed to eradicate his tumour.
He tells CTV Regina his best hope is surgery with a NanoKnife, in which electrodes are placed around the tumour and 3,000 volts of electricity are used to electrocute it.
The surgery has been around for about a decade but is new to Canada, with one machine currently on loan to the Saskatoon Health Region.
However, the health region said in a statement Monday that the equipment is being used for renal research trials and is not available to patients with pancreatic cancer.
A Saskatchewan health ministry spokesperson wrote in a statement to CTV News that NanoKnife treatment is not covered by medicare in Canada because more clinical trials are needed to determine whether the procedure works.
Some patients have been flying to Germany for the treatment.
Shaun Ekert’s father underwent the procedure in Germany after the family raised $60,000.
“You can stay here in hospital stays for upwards of $200,000 to $300,000 — basically until your life is over — or go over to Germany for, let’s say, $60,000 to $70,000, and they revoke it,” Ekert said.
