Where informed patients make confident treatment decisions.
Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
Thyroid nodules impact 70 percent of adults in their lifetime. The standard of care is surgical removal of half or all of the gland. But in recent years, nonsurgical treatment options have become available. Hi, my name is Jennifer Holkem and I advocate for fellow patients suffering with this very common condition. I sit down with patients and physicians and discuss life with thyroid nodules, the journey from diagnosis to treatment, and how to save your thyroid through nonsurgical advances in medicine.
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Sept. 9, 2026

A New Option for Thyroid Cancer? (Quick Update)

A New Option for Thyroid Cancer? (Quick Update)

Most patients with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer are told there are only two paths: surgery, or active surveillance. A first-in-human clinical trial at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and MD Anderson Cancer Center is testing whether a third option exists.

Researchers are evaluating nsPFA (nanosecond pulsed field ablation) — already FDA-cleared for benign thyroid nodules — to determine whether it can safely and effectively treat papillary thyroid microcarcinoma without surgery and without thermal damage. The research is led by Dr. Ralph Tufano, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgeon at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, and Dr. Victoria Banuchi, Associate Professor of Head & Neck Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Tufano reached out personally to help spread awareness of the trial to patients who may qualify.

Currently, patients with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer are typically offered surgery, which removes part or all of the thyroid, or active surveillance, which means ongoing monitoring without direct treatment. This trial is exploring whether cancer can instead be treated precisely and non-surgically, without removing the thyroid.

You may be eligible if you have papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, a tumor smaller than 1.5 centimeters, cancer confined to the thyroid with no lymph node involvement or spread beyond the thyroid, and current candidacy for active surveillance. Enrollment is open at two sites: Sarasota, FL and Houston, TX, with approximately 10 of 30 slots remaining.

If you or someone you know may qualify, contact the Sarasota Memorial research team directly at (941) 917-2225 or researchinstitute@smh.com, or view the full trial listing at clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07218315.

Season 7 Nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation Thyroid Cancer

Most patients with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer are told there are two paths: surgery, or active surveillance. In this quick update, I'm sharing news of a first-in-human clinical trial that's testing whether there's a third option.

Researchers at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and MD Anderson Cancer Center are evaluating nsPFA (nanosecond pulsed field ablation) — already FDA-cleared for benign thyroid nodules — to see if it can safely treat papillary thyroid microcarcinoma without surgery or thermal damage. The trial is led by Dr. Ralph Tufano (Sarasota Memorial) and Dr. Victoria Banuchi (MD Anderson), who reached out to me personally to help spread the word.

You may qualify if you have:

✅ Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

✅ Tumor smaller than 1.5cm

✅ Cancer confined to the thyroid

✅ No lymph node involvement

✅ No spread beyond the thyroid

✅ Currently a candidate for active surveillance

Two enrollment sites: Sarasota, FL and Houston, TX. About 10 of 30 slots remain.

Learn more or see if you qualify:

📞 (941) 917-2225

📧 researchinstitute@smh.com

🔗 clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07218315

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Its me Jen again (00:00)
Hey friends, so I got a call this week from Dr. Ralph Tufano at Sarasota Memorial. Many of you have probably seen him on this podcast. He's leading a clinical trial right now in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, and they're evaluating whether nsPFA, nanosecond pulse field ablation can treat low-risk papillary thyroid cancer without surgery. they have about

10 slots remaining, Here's who they're looking for: patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. These are small low-risk thyroid cancer tumors under 1.5 centimeters, no lymph node involvement and no spread. If you're currently on active surveillance and wondering if there's another option,

This actually might be the conversation you've been waiting to have.

There are two sites, Sarasota Memorial in Sarasota, Florida, and MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. I'm going to put all the contact information and the eligibility criteria in the comments below. Please share this with anyone who you think might qualify. This right here, this is why this community exists. Let's get the word out and help people to know.

But there's another way that they might be able to save their thyroid.