Marie Currie, a multimedia artist, never expected a persistent cough to change the course of her life. As she focused on her craft, the cough wouldn’t go away, so she sought answers.
After extensive testing, she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a serious condition that came with an uncertain future. Although the diagnosis was difficult, it set in motion a series of events that would ultimately save her life. As part of her care, Marie underwent routine imaging every few months to monitor the progression of her condition. During one of these scans, physicians identified a small abnormality — a tiny spot that would later prove critical.
When Marie’s care team noticed the lesion growing, she was referred to Dr. Sameer Rehman, a cardiothoracic and interventional radiologist at Desert Radiology in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is affiliated with Radiology Partners (RP). He specializes in advanced imaging of the heart and lungs and minimally invasive image-guided procedures, with focused special interest in diagnosing and treating lung cancer with thermal ablation. Marie’s underlying lung disease would make surgery risky, and after evaluating her case, Dr. Rehman recommended a minimally invasive approach: a combined biopsy and lung cryoablation procedure.
During the procedure, a biopsy confirmed the presence of lung cancer. In the same session, Dr. Rehman performed a cryoablation procedure, which involves the use of CT guidance to precisely place cryoablation probes into the tumor, creating an “ice ball” around the tumor and effectively destroying it while preserving surrounding lung function.
This approach reflects a growing shift in cancer care: using targeted, minimally invasive therapies to treat disease earlier, with fewer complications and faster recovery. For patients with underlying conditions like pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, these options can be especially impactful.
Marie’s outcome was remarkable. Follow-up imaging at six months and one year showed no evidence of active cancer, only a small residual scar where the tumor had been treated.
“She has been cancer-free post-ablation now and has been doing clinically well,” Dr. Rehman said.
For Marie, the impact goes far beyond the medical result.
“I cannot stress enough to people that are in my situation that they need to know that this option is available for them, and I couldn’t be doing better,” she said. “I owe that procedure and his expertise my life, and I don’t believe that I would be here long for my grandson if it wasn’t for how blessed I was that this procedure was available at the time it was. And boy do I love being a grandma.”
Read more about lung cryoablation in this white paper co-authored by Dr. Rehman, “Lung Ablation Outcomes for Inoperable Stage IA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer,” which was published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology in March 2026.
Radiology Partners, through its owned and affiliated practices, is a leading physician-led and physician-owned radiology practice in the U.S. Learn more about our mission, values and practice principles at RadPartners.com. For the latest news from RP, follow along on our blog and on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Interested in learning about career opportunities? Visit our careers page.
