- Dartmouth General Hospital (DGH) Surgery Team Perform First-in-Nova Scotia Procedure to Treat Barrett’s Esophagus
By Andrew Macdonald
For the first time, patients in Nova Scotia suffering from Barrett’s Esophagus – a precancerous condition – are now able to receive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment here in their home province.
Previously, Nova Scotians would have to travel to Moncton for the medical procedure.
Funds raised through the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation’s (DGH Foundation) 2024 Annual Lobster Dinner & Auction helped purchase both endoscopic ultrasound and equipment for radiofrequency ablation treatment.
Radiofrequency ablation is used to treat Barrett’s Esophagus by removing affected tissue while preserving the underlying healthy tissue. This treatment significantly reduces the risk of disease progression to esophageal cancer.
Previously, patients in Nova Scotia had to travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, for this important procedure, as it was the only place in Atlantic Canada that offered the treatment.
With this treatment now available at DGH, it will reduce or eliminate the need for travel for patients living locally and elsewhere in Nova Scotia.
Darren Steele, a Hall’s Harbour, Nova Scotia resident and one of DGH’s first Barrett’s Esophagus patients knows firsthand the benefits of having RFA treatment available at DGH.
“My family and I have travelled out of province 13 times over the last five years to be treated for Barrett’s Esophagus in Moncton, NB. Having this technology available at DGH means I am travelling less, spending less, recovering faster and shortening the time that I am away from home because of the proximity of the treatment. I can’t thank Dr. Robert Berger, and the DGH Foundation donors enough for bringing healthcare technology like this to Dartmouth and to patients like me,” he said in a statement.
“DGH works closely with DGH Foundation to identify needs that will enable us to deliver innovative and local treatment options for our patients. Thanks to the support of community donors, equipment required for RFA has been secured and patients with dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus will be treated in the DGH Endoscopy Unit rather than being required to travel out of province for care. There is a higher risk of progression to esophageal cancer in these patients and RFA treatment can significantly decrease that risk. It is the standard of care, and I am thrilled to be providing it here at DGH,” said Dr. Robert Berger, Gastroenterology, DGH.
“We are so excited to be able to offer this leading treatment for Barrett’s Esophagus at DGH. This will improve access to care for patients across Nova Scotia who suffer from this condition,” said Dr. Natalie Cheng, Medical Site Lead, DGH.
“It makes me so proud and fills my heart to know this treatment is now available right here in Nova Scotia, thanks to everyone who supported DGH Foundation’s 39th Annual Lobster Dinner & Auction. And that DGH was able to make this happen so quickly following the event is incredible to me. They really know how to put donor dollars to work quickly for the benefit of our community.” – Denis Ryan, Honorary Chair, DGH Foundation 39th Annual Lobster Dinner & Auction.
“Our heartfelt thanks to the Chassie family, the J&W Murphy Foundation and to all the sponsors, volunteers and supporters of our 39th Annual Lobster Dinner & Auction presented by Conrad Brothers, who helped fund this vital equipment. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such caring and generous community builders whose support is helping bring essential care close to home,” said Stephen Harding, CEO, DGH Foundation.
In a news chat, Dr. Robert Berger says Dartmouth General’s Foundation “has been very forward thinking and very supportive of numerous departments”. The foundation raises money through charity iniatitives to purchase medical equipment for the 50-year-old hospital.
The new treatment at Dartmouth for Barrett’s Esophagus consisting of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment “has been around for a while – little over 15 years and it has been available in Moncton until recently.”
Dr. Berger had previously worked at the hospital in Moncton here in their home province, where he had been doing the procedure. He moved to Dartmouth’s hospital last April.
He says it is “fantastic” the treatment is now available in Dartmouth. The treatment requires three to five sessions over the course of a year.
“It is done through a scope….Essentially we have a variety of different devices that attach to the scope, then we use a power generator, which is part of the equipment, we are able to give this radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment, which is essentially a high energy but superficial energy to deliver to kill the abnormal cells which are usually superficial, while minimizing any risk of deeper injury of the esophagus,” Dr. Berger tells The Macdonald Notebook.
“So it is very effective at eradicating both Barrett’s Esophagus and the true esophagus change, which is called dysplasia.”
The surgeon says chronic acid reflux exposure – acid from the stomach – causes in some patients for the normal cell types to change to a different cell type that should not be there in the esophagus, and that increases changes to dysplasia and further to a pre-cancerous level.
Dr. Berger is based out of Dartmouth General, but does some procedures at the VG. A native of Cape Breton, he grew up in New Waterford.
His mother is a nurse, and his three sisters are nurses and his grandmother was a nurse. “So, we are certainly a healthcare family.”
He did his undergrad at Cape Breton University, and then studied at Dal Medical School, and then studied gastroenterology at Dal.
For the first time, patients in Nova Scotia suffering from Barrett’s Esophagus – a precancerous condition – are now able to receive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment here in their home province.
Funds raised through the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation’s (DGH Foundation) 2024 Annual Lobster Dinner & Auction helped purchase both endoscopic ultrasound and equipment for radiofrequency ablation treatment.
Pictured surrounding the Barxx Radiofrequency Ablation device are from left to right
Jenna Joyce, VP Philanthropy, Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation
Cynthia Stockman, Director Central Zone Endoscopy, QEII and Cobequid Ambulatory Care, Cobequid Site Lead, Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre Site Lead
Becky Croft, Health Services Manager, Endoscopy, Cardiac Investigations and Outpatient Department, Dartmouth General Hospital
Dr. Natalie Cheng, Medical Site Lead, Dartmouth General Hospital
Dr. Robert Berger, Gastroenterologist, Internal Medicine, Dartmouth General Hospital
