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EN Cryoablation
Cryoablation Overview
Cryoablation is a type of cryotherapy, a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure that uses extreme cold to freeze and kill abnormal cancerous and precancerous cells. The application of cold to tumor cells prevents further growth or spreading, making this an effective outpatient treatment for cancer. During cryoablation, imaging guidance such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) visualizes the affected tissue for your interventional radiologist as they safely inject a freezing agent through a thin needle. Since it only requires a small, pin-hole sized incision, recovery is fast and there are fewer risks of complication than surgery.Cryoablation is defined as cell destruction using cold temperatures. An ice ball is formed at the end of a cryoprobe, which freezes intra- as well as extracellular material to temperatures colder than -100 ˚C. The application of these extremely cold temperatures causes cell death. To consistently destroy tumor cells, it has become clear that temperatures must reach a certain threshold that is unique to the cell type and thermal environment of the targeted tissue. This specified range of temperatures falls between -20 and -50˚C, depending on the tissue.
Cryoablation is a well-tolerated treatment approach for various cancers, including cancers of the Bone, Cervix, Eye, Liver, Lung, Kidney and Prostate. Cryoablation may be used to alleviate pain and other symptoms caused by spreading cancers. It is typically recommended when a patient is unable to undergo surgical tumor removal due to advanced age, overall disease burden, or issues with heart or pulmonary functioning.This therapy might be a sole approach to alleviate cancer symptoms when a mass is too risky to operate on, or it could be part of a broader, multi-therapy treatment plan. The tumor’s core attributes, including size, staging, and site, are what helps your doctor determine if cryoablation will be effective in eliminating malignant cells.
Cryoablation procedure
This procedure is performed in an outpatient setting by an interventional radiologist. However, depending on the tumor site or organ. Before the start of the procedure, you will receive general anesthesia or conscious sedation via an intravenous (IV) line. Next, local anesthesia is applied to the area of the skin that will be accessed with a small incision. Then, a small needle is guided through the incision by ultrasound or CT scan to help your doctor safely access the tumor mass. Once at the tumor, the cooled tip of the needle will freeze the tumor tissue. Once the tumor thaws, this process may be repeated multiple times during the same treatment session.