A patient program by RFAMD

Ablation for All

If you have thyroid cancer and cannot afford care, or have no access to a qualified specialist in your country, A4A may be able to help you avoid surgery when cost or location is the obstacle.

Apply as a patient See if you qualify

Thyroid cancer The primary focus, with rare exceptions
Procedure covered You pay travel and all other costs
Worldwide Open to patients from any country

Why A4A exists

It began with one unnecessary surgery.

In 2013, RFAMD’s founder, Philip James, was treated for a one centimeter thyroid nodule found on a routine scan. It was papillary thyroid cancer, and the recommended treatment was surgery. He was told the risk was low.

He came out of it with permanent harm: a damaged voice, lasting nerve injury, and complications that reshaped his daily life. Only later did he learn that thyroid ablation, a minimally invasive alternative, might have treated the same cancer without the operation.

No one should be pushed toward surgery they may not need because of where they live or what they can pay.

Philip James, founder of RFAMD

He spent the years since building RFAMD so patients could reach the best thyroid doctors without being limited by geography or economics. Ablation for All is where that work becomes direct.

A4A exists so that cost and geography never decide who gets the chance he did not.

Hear the story in his words

Founding physician

Prof. Roberto Valcavi

Director, Endocrine & Thyroid Clinic, Reggio Emilia · MD, FACE, ECNU

A founding figure of interventional thyroidology, Prof. Valcavi performed his first thyroid ablative procedure in 1992 and has performed more than 1,800 procedures since, while training many of the physicians who now perform the technique elsewhere.

He founded the Associazione Medici Endocrinologi (AME), Italy’s national association of endocrinologists, and is its past president. He co-authored the AACE/AME/ETA guidelines for thyroid nodules, co-edited Springer’s 2025 guide to thyroid ablation, and is President of the Thyroid Nodule Therapies (TNT) Association. He directs the Endocrine & Thyroid Clinic in Reggio Emilia, built specifically for ultrasound-guided diagnosis and treatment of the endocrine neck.

1992Performs his first thyroid ablative procedure
2001Elected President of AME, the association he founded
2004International Clinician Award, Boston
2010Co-author, AACE/AME/ETA medical guidelines for thyroid nodules
2025Co-editor, Thyroid Ablation: An International Guide (Springer)

Dr. Alessandro Serblin, ETC’s airway and vocal cord safety specialist, monitors your vocal cords throughout the procedure to protect your voice.

Read Prof. Valcavi’s full profile

Do you qualify

Who we can help.

A4A is a small program with careful screening. To be considered, your situation is reviewed against four requirements.

Screening criteria

You may qualify if all four are true.

Diagnosis

You have a qualifying thyroid cancer diagnosis.

A4A centers on papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), the small, early thyroid cancer, and also considers inoperable neck lymph node metastases from thyroid cancer. Candidacy is always confirmed by the treating physician.
Medical records

You can provide your complete records up front.

Before any case is reviewed, you must supply all relevant records at your own cost: pathology and cytology reports, laboratory results, ultrasound and imaging, and prior clinical notes. A full feasibility evaluation is mandatory before ablation can be recommended, and it cannot proceed without these.
Need, one of two

You cannot afford ablation, or cannot reach it.

Financial need: you cannot pay for ablation and insurance will not cover it. Or access need: no physician trained in thyroid ablation treats thyroid cancer in your country or within reach of where you live, and surgery is the only option you have been offered.
Clinical fit

A specialist confirms you are a candidate for ablation.

Using your records, the treating physician completes the required clinical, laboratory, ultrasound, and cytological evaluation and makes the decision. RFAMD never decides your care, and applying does not mean ablation is right for you.

Please read. A4A is designed mainly to assist thyroid cancer patients. On rare occasions, other cases are considered, at RFAMD’s sole discretion. If you are unsure whether you qualify, you are welcome to submit your information and we will review it. Applying is an expression of interest only. Places are few, screening is careful, and submitting an application does not guarantee selection. Final selection is at the sole discretion of RFAMD and the treating physician, and RFAMD verifies need before any case advances.

What you pay

Clear about the costs.

A4A removes the largest barrier, the cost of the procedure itself. Everything else is your responsibility, and we want that understood before you apply.

Covered by A4A

The procedure

The cost of the thyroid ablation procedure, donated by the treating physician.

Your responsibility

Everything else

Flights and all travel to and from the clinic.
Lodging and meals during your stay.
Visas, passports, and any travel documents.
Follow-up care, medications, and imaging.
Any other personal or medical costs related to your treatment.

A4A covers the procedure only. All other costs are yours.

How it works

What to expect.

Three simple stages, from your application to the day of your procedure.

You apply, we screen

You complete the interest form below and provide your complete medical records. RFAMD reviews your application against the screening criteria and verifies your need. We coordinate everything from your first message onward.
A physician treats you

If you are selected, a founding physician such as Prof. Valcavi confirms you are a candidate and performs the ablation. Your medical care is provided by that physician, not by RFAMD.
You travel

You arrange and pay for your travel and all related costs, then attend your procedure. With your consent, your story may be shared to help other patients find this path.

RFAMD is not a medical provider. RFAMD screens applicants and coordinates the program. All diagnosis, treatment, and clinical decisions are made and performed by the independent treating physician, who is solely responsible for your care.

Apply

Start your application.

This is the first step, an expression of interest. RFAMD reviews every application against the screening criteria and follows up by email.

Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
I am a(Required)
- Patient (seeking treatment through A4A)
- Physician (interested in joining)
- Device partner (interested in supporting)
Full name(Required)
Email(Required)
City & country of residence(Required)
Your diagnosis
Why can't you access ablation?(Required)
- I cannot afford it and insurance will not cover it
- No physician trained in thyroid ablation is within reach of where I live
- Both
Has surgery been offered as your only option?(Required)
- Yes
- No
Tell us briefly about your situation
By submitting, I understand and agree that:
- This form is an expression of interest only and does not guarantee selection or treatment.
- RFAMD is not a medical provider. All treatment is provided by an independent physician who is solely responsible for my care.
- A4A covers the procedure only. I am responsible for all travel, lodging, and every other cost related to my treatment.
- I will provide my complete medical records, at my own cost, including pathology, cytology, laboratory results, and imaging, and I understand a full evaluation is required before ablation can be recommended.
- Selection is at the sole discretion of RFAMD and the treating physician, and details may change.
Before you submit, please read. A4A is designed primarily to assist thyroid cancer patients; exceptions are rare and made solely at RFAMD’s discretion. This application is an expression of interest only. It is not a request for, or an offer of, medical care, and it does not guarantee selection, eligibility, or treatment. RFAMD is not a medical provider and gives no medical advice; all diagnosis and treatment are performed by independent physicians who are solely responsible for clinical decisions and outcomes. You are responsible for providing complete and accurate medical records, and for all travel, lodging, and other costs. Submitting this form creates no doctor patient relationship and no obligation on RFAMD or any physician. Program eligibility, indications, and details may change at any time. By submitting, you confirm that you have read and accept these terms.
Agreement(Required)
- I understand that Ablation for All is a charitable access program, that submitting this form is an application and not a guarantee of treatment, and that any medical decision rests with the treating physician. I agree to RFAMD sharing the information in this form with participating physicians for the purpose of assessing my application.

Please do not upload medical records here. Share records directly with a clinic only after a consultation.

For physicians and device partners

A4A grows through the people who make the care possible.

Physicians

Join a small group of centers donating one thyroid cancer treatment a month to patients in need. You confirm every candidate, and your clinical judgment governs each case.

Express interest

Device partners

Each treating clinic arranges the device for its own cases. Manufacturers who wish to support A4A do so through RFAMD on defined terms, never through the treating physician, so clinical independence stays absolute.

Support A4A