Cryotherapy For Prostat Cancer

Cryotherapy: Latest Treatment for Prostate Cancer

photo taken from nycryotherapy.com

In the early 90s, a treatment for prostate cancer was introduced; it was called cryosurgery. Today, its proper term is “cryotherapy.” What cryotherapy does is that it gets rid of the cancer by freezing the prostate gland. After the patient gets his anesthesia, the doctor inserts needles of very cold temperatures into the gland through the area between the anus and scrotum called the perineum. The cold temperature needles destroy the prostate and the cancer tissue in it.
Cryotherapy, one of the effective treatments for prostate cancer, utilizes very thin needles to produce ice balls of immense cold temperatures. In inserting the needles through the perineum, the doctor uses ultrasound to accurately guide him in the insertion, as well as to correctly manipulate the shape and size of the ice balls and keep track of the temperature.
The procedure works because as the cells freeze due to the very cold temperatures, ice crystals begin to form in and around them. The process of freezing and thawing damages the cells by means of dehydration, radical changes in pH levels or stopping the flow of red blood cells. Subjecting the gland to extremely cold temperatures, particularly -40 degrees Celsius, can activate an anti-tumor response in the patient’s body.
Cryotherapy, the latest treatment in curing cancer, is an effective primary therapy for men who are diagnosed with one of the early stages of prostate cancer and it reduces the dangers of developing tumors. This is likewise another option for patients who are not qualified to undergo radical prostatectomy. It can also be used when the EBRT fails and the cancer cells in the prostate are unaffected by radiation.
If it proves to be ineffective the first time, the treatment can be repeated. For patients who had the therapy before but failed, they have the alternative of undergoing prostatectomy or radiation therapy. This latest treatment in curing prostate cancer is minimally invasive, so patients experience very little pain or blood loss.
Cryotherapy is a relatively new procedure when compared to radiation therapy. Nonetheless, cryotherapy can be considered one of the best treatments for prostate cancer; it succeeds in treating the cancer, especially those that are radioresistant. There are some physicians who believe that making use of freezing temperatures over strong doses of radiation therapy is more effectual for curing radioresistant prostate cancer.