NanoKnife treatment & Medicare

Medicare does not have a coverage determination for NanoKnife. They apparently do not consider a medically necessary.

I guess there could be different opinions about that.

I had the NanoKnife (Irreversible Electroporation - IRE) treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Medicare did cover the treatment. I have heard that Medicare will cover NanoKnife when done in a hospital setting but not in a outpatient type of facility. I don't know that to be true, but I have heard it a few times.

I am pleased with the results of the NanoKnife treatment so far. My PSA is about half of what it was and a multiparametric magnetic resonance image (mpMRI) done six months after the treatment showed no signs of new tumors.

We're all pulling for the best outcome for you!

Was it covered by Medicare Part A or Part B ?

From looking at the Medicare explanation of benefits, the Moffitt Cancer Center bills seem to be paid through Part A and the doctor and anesthesiologist seem to have been paid through Part B. The hospital EOB is attached.

Congratulations on your outcome! I'm recently diagnosed with localized PC, Gleason 4+3=7 with one tumor on the right apex and a second on the right base.
What was your Gleason prior to treatment?
Did you have more than one tumor? How large was it?

I know several people in Canada who had NanoKnife -- All are very pleased and happy with their choice , and would choose it again . What was your PSA and Biopsy results at the time of your procedure ?
Were you on Active Surveillance prior ?
Thanks .

Thanks- Much appreciated .

My PSA score that got the urologist's attention was 4.25. A follow-up MRI indicated two tumors, both contained within the prostate, and both with a PI-RADS of 4. My biopsy showed a Gleason score of 3+4=7 (intermediate risk, favorable) and my decipher results indicated low risk, making me a candidate for active surveillance or focal therapy. I chose focal treatment because one of the tumors was abutting the edge of the prostate. I had the NanoKnife (IRE)
treatment in January 2024 at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. After the treatment, I had some relatively mild incontinence which has mostly cleared up. I also had some blood in my urine for about six weeks after the treatment, but that has totally cleared up. My sexual function is unchanged from before the treatment.

In August, my PSA was down to 1.95. The follow up multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), done the same day, showed “post ablation changes of the prostate with no new recurrent tumor in the treatment area and no new suspicious lesions in the prostate”. My doctor said that later, if there is an indication that cancer has returned, I can consider an additional IRE treatment, removal or radiation.

Best wishes for successful treatment!

The MRI showed two tumors. One was 0.7 x 0.6 cm, apex level, peripheral zone, anterior location. The other was 0.9 x 0.7 cm, midgland level, transition zone, anterior location. I had a transperineal biopsy which showed 12 cores to be benign. The first tumor showed prostatic adenocarcinoma in 4 of 4 cores. The second tumor showed 'small focus of atypical glands', which my primary care doctor described as precancerous. My Gleason score was 3+4=7 (favorable). My decipher score was low risk. These two scores made active surveillance an option for me, but due to one of the two tumors abutting the edge of the prostate, I chose to have the NanoKnife (IRE) treatment in the hope of preventing a spread outside the prostate.

I hope this info is helpful to you!

Your results mirror my associates - All positive after several years .
One of my earlier references had his performed in Germany where they have performed thousands with An International success rate record .
Thanks for your details .