83-Year-Old With Stage III Pancreatic Cancer Regains Strength After Joining RenovoCath Clinical Trial

Hernando Salcedo, 83, was diagnosed with Stage III pancreatic cancer after sudden abdominal swelling in May 2025. After a difficult start with standard systemic chemotherapy, Salcedo was offered enrollment in a clinical trial testing RenovoRX's RenovoCath catheter system. The targeted delivery approach allowed him to tolerate treatment, stabilizing his disease and restoring his quality of life.

Diagnosis and Initial Treatment

Salcedo first noticed his abdomen swelling in May 2025. An endoscopic ultrasound was inconclusive, and an MRI two days later revealed Stage III pancreatic cancer. Because his tumor was not operable, his care team at Miami Cancer Institute recommended intensive chemotherapy aimed at prolonging life rather than curing the disease.

He began systemic chemotherapy in July 2025 but quickly developed severe side effects: loss of appetite, weight loss and profound fatigue. "I've never seen my dad in bed for that amount of time, where he can't even get up," his son Mauricio said. Salcedo described feeling worse than before the diagnosis and found daily activities increasingly difficult.

Hernando Salcedo, center, surrounded by family. / Credit: Hernando Salcedo

Tumor Board Review and Trial Offer

Salcedo's case was reviewed by a multidisciplinary tumor board at the Miami Cancer Institute. The board identified him as a candidate for a clinical trial evaluating a targeted chemotherapy-delivery device from RenovoRX. After an initial period of standard chemotherapy and radiation, patients with stable disease were eligible to be randomized to receive either continuing systemic chemotherapy or catheter-based delivery using the RenovoCath.

How RenovoCath Works

The RenovoCath system uses a catheter fitted with two balloons that is positioned in the artery supplying the tumor. By isolating local blood flow, clinicians can deliver high concentrations of chemotherapy directly to the tumor site while limiting systemic exposure. According to Dr. Ripal Gandhi, the radiologist-oncologist who treated Salcedo, "Pancreatic cancer has dense tissue and limited blood supply, so much of the drug delivered systemically may not reach the tumor. The catheter helps localize therapy where it's needed most."

Clinical Evidence and Patient Experience

RenovoRX points out that the device received FDA clearance in 2014. Earlier clinical data presented at the World Congress of GI Cancer Patients in 2023 suggested the catheter approach reduced adverse events by about 65% compared with traditional systemic chemotherapy and was associated with an average survival benefit of roughly six months in those analyses. These results are preliminary; the full randomized-trial results are expected in late 2027.

Hernando Salcedo, left, at his nephew's wedding.  / Credit: Hernando Salcedo

"Because you're isolating the chemotherapy, there is very little drug which is actually going through the body," Dr. Gandhi said. "The drug is really being localized to the site of the cancer and there's very little chemotherapy that's making it to all the rest of your organs."

Salcedo was randomized to the catheter arm and received RenovoCath treatments every other week for about four months. He reported feeling markedly better after each session: "I felt fine the next day. I didn't feel nausea. I didn't feel pain. I didn't feel nothing. This treatment fixed my life," he said. Other patients in the trial have seen notable outcomes as well, including at least one patient of Dr. Gandhi's who survived four years after diagnosis.

Outcome and Outlook

One year after his diagnosis, Salcedo's cancer has remained stable since mid-April, and it has not spread to other organs, his care team reported. He has regained weight and energy, resumed regular walks and even traveled to Colombia for his nephew's wedding, where he danced and said he "felt perfect." Mauricio emphasized that the family remains realistic about the prognosis, but that the extra months of quality life have been meaningful.

What Comes Next

The trial is ongoing, and the final, peer-reviewed results for the RenovoCath in Stage III pancreatic cancer are expected in late 2027. While early findings and patient stories like Salcedo's are encouraging, clinicians caution that larger, randomized data sets are needed to fully define the device's benefits and long-term impact.

Note: This article reports on an individual patient's experience and on interim and previously presented trial data. Patients should consult their oncology team to understand whether a given clinical trial or treatment is appropriate for their specific case.