According to the Cryogenic Society of America, cryogenic treatments involve the use of temperatures below the freezing point of water to kill undesirable cells such as cancer cells. Doctors use probes cooled by liquid nitrogen to subject cancer cells to lethal temperatures as low as minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit while nearby healthy cells are not harmed because they experience temperatures around 68 degress Fahrenheit. Cryogenic techniques are currently in use for the treatment of cancer of the prostate, liver and breast.
Prostate Cancer Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy for prostate cancer involves the destruction of tumors by freezing the tumor tissue, notes the Mayo Clinic. The patient is usually placed under general anesthesia, and a doctor carries out the procedure in a hospital. An ultrasound probe inside the rectum guides the doctor as he places metal rods through the perineum, the area between the scrotum and the anus, and into the prostate tumor. When the rods are positioned properly, liquid nitrogen or argon is sent through them in order to freeze and destroy the tumor cells. In order to protect the urethra from freezing, the doctor inserts a catheter filled with a warm solution. The procedure takes about two to three hours, and patients are generally released from the hospital on the same day that the cryotherapy is performed. Recovery time is normally two to four weeks.
Cryotherapy for prostate cancer is an alternative to conventional surgery or radiotherapy, and is effective if the cancer is detected early. In almost all cases, erectile dysfunction is a side effect of the treatment.
Cryotherapy for Liver Cancer
According to the CancerHelp UK website, cryogenic treatment for liver cancer is a useful option for those patients who can't undergo conventional surgery. Using a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon inserts a probe through a small abdominal incision into the liver tumor. The camera and light of the laparoscope guide the placement of the probe. Liquid nitrogen flowing through the probe destroys the tumor cells by freezing them. The patient experiences some pain after the procedure, but it does not last long and responds well to pain medication.
Cryogenic Treatment of Breast Cancer
In the January 2007 issue of "The Oncologist," Drs. Georges Vlastos and Helena M. Verkooijen state that cryotherapy for breast cancer may involve the use of up to seven probes cooled by liquid nitrogen or argon. Multiple probes allow the treatment of larger tumors. The surgeon inserts these probes into the breast tumor tissue through a small incision, and ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging guide their placement. Temperatures ranging from minus 365 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 126 degrees Fahrenheit are then employed. The cold temperatures destroy the tumor cells, and then warming the probe arrests the spread of the cold to surrounding healthy tissue. Doctors perform breast cancer cryotherapy under local anesthesia, and it works best for tumors that are less than 1.5cm in size.
References
- Cryogenic Society of America: Cryo Central: Cryobiology
- Mayo Clinic: Prostate Cancer: Cyrotherapy for Prostate Cancer
- CancerHelp UK: Which Treatment for Liver Cancer?: Freezing the Tumor (Cryotherapy)
- "The Oncologist"; Minimally Invasive Approaches for Diagnosis and Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer; Drs. Georges Vlastos and Helena M. Verkooijen; January 2007
