Cryoablation

Today, more than 350 published studies document the clinical value of cryoablation as a prostate cancer treatment option. And recent 10-year data provides evidence of its long-term durability. To date, cryoablation has been performed on thousands of men by hundreds of physicians nationwide and is offered at Goshen Center for Cancer Care.

Cryoablation (also called cryotherapy) is the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen (or argon gas) to destroy abnormal tissue. This newer, minimally invasive procedure uses ice at -40°C to immediately destroy prostate cancer cells, regardless of aggressiveness.

Cryoablation can be used to treat men who have early-stage or recurrent prostate cancer that is localized to the gland. Because it’s effective only in small areas, cryoablation is not used to treat prostate cancer that has spread outside the gland, or to distant parts of the body. Some advantages of cryoablation are that the procedure can be repeated and effectively used to treat men who cannot have surgery or radiation due to age or other medical problems.

Benefits

• Minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment, not major surgery
• No radiation beams, seeds or exposure
• Choice of general or spinal anesthesia
• Outpatient or overnight hospital stay
• Fast return to normal lifestyle
• Low risk of potential side effects (such as incontinence)
• Recent published studies have demonstrated good long-term outcomes

How It Works

With cryoablation six to eight slender cryoprobes are inserted into the prostate gland on various parts of the tumor. Each probe contains argon gas cold enough to freeze the entire prostate. As the procedure continues, a ball of ice crystals forms around the probe, freezing nearby cells. At the same time, a warming catheter protects the urethra from the very cold temperatures.

Ultrasound images allow the physician to guide the cryoprobes to the best possible positions for destroying the cancer, while monitor the freezing of the cells and limiting damage to nearby healthy tissue. Also, sensors carefully monitor the process and precisely determine when target temperatures have been reached. After cryosurgery, the frozen tissue thaws and is naturally absorbed by the body.