CRYOABLATION (FREEZING THE PROSTATE) FOR PROSTATE CANCER

CRYOABLATION (FREEZING THE PROSTATE) FOR PROSTATE CANCER
Posted: January 20th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction |
This technique sounds great: For starters, it involves no surgery. Instead, extremely cold liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the entire prostate, causing cancer cells within the gland to rupture as they begin to thaw.

The idea itself is not new. Many years ago, when the technique was first introduced, the freezing was accomplished through the urethra. Today, using ultrasound to guide them, doctors circulate the freezing liquid nitrogen through five metallic probes, which are placed in the prostate gland through the perineum. The freezing continues until the ultrasound shows that an “iceball” has been created. The procedure can take longer than an hour, and the hospital stay is generally one or two days.

Doctors who perform cryoablation (also called cryotherapy) must be well-acquainted with transrectal ultrasound, so they can be sure that the prostate is frozen completely. During the procedure, the tissue around the urethra is heated so it won’t be destroyed along with the rest of the prostate.

The advantages of cryoablation include a short hospital stay and the absence of serious problems with urinary control. Fans of this procedure emphasize cryoablation’s ease of treatment and freedom from early side effects.

However, only about one-third of men appear to be potent afterward; this may be because, in an attempt to destroy all the cancer, many doctors who perform this procedure deliberately attempt to freeze the nerve bundles that are essential for erection.

The big unknown here is whether cryoablation actually cures prostate cancer. Prostate cancer begins as a “multifocal” disease—many bits of cancer cells sprouting up in many sites within the prostate. So to cure it, it’s necessary to eliminate the entire prostate. But that doesn’t happen with cryoablation. During the procedure, the tissue around the urethra is protected by heat. Does the heat that preserves the urethra also spare a few scattered cancer cells? This is not clear.