Prof. Dr. Rahmi Çubuk

Non-Surgical Cancer Treatments

Non-Surgical Cancer Treatments

Non-surgical Treatment with Freezing Method (Cryoablation) What is the cryoablation procedure ?

 

Cryoablation is the destruction of tumoral tissues located in the kidney, breast and other organs in the body by freezing them through the skin with a needle without the need for surgery.

 

How does cryoablation treat tumors?

Cryoablation destroys tumorous tissue in the body by freezing. For this purpose, special needle tips are cooled to -40 – 100 degrees with nitrogen or argon gases. An ice ball forms around these needles and the ice ball disrupts the vascularization of the tumor, causing the tumor to die.

In which organ tumors is cryoablation most frequently used?

Kidney tumors

Breast tumors

Soft tissue tumors

It can be used in some types of tumors of the lung, liver and other organs.

What is the difference between cryoablation and surgery?

The main difference between cryoablation and surgery is that it is performed by entering the organ through the skin without making an incision on the skin, and only a small needle hole remains in the skin after the procedure. Therefore, the patient’s hospital stay and recovery times are significantly shorter than surgery.

Since cryoablation is performed by viewing the lesion with imaging methods such as ultrasonography or computerized tomography, the risk of damaging the wrong tissue or the possibility of damaging an unwanted area is quite low. This situation is almost never seen.

Is cryoablation suitable for every type of tumor? For example, which patients is it suitable for in kidney and breast tumors?

First of all, surgery is the first method of choice in breast and kidney cancer treatment today. However, cryoablation is preferred by some patients, especially those who are older, have other accompanying diseases (hypertension, diabetes, etc.) and cannot receive anesthesia. This decision is usually made by tumor councils formed by relevant branch physicians in hospitals.

How is cryoablation performed?

The cryoablation procedure will be performed in the interventional radiology department with an ultrasonography and/or computerized tomography device depending on the condition of the disease.

You will be taken to the procedure room and connected to a monitor that will monitor your oxygen level, heart rate and blood pressure during the procedure. You will be given a sedative and medications to prevent pain.

The interventional radiologist finds the pathology in the organ with an ultrasonography or computerized tomography device. After local anesthesia is given to the skin, the ablation needle is entered into the tumor. The ablation needle is placed in the center of the cancerous tissue. Your stay in the procedure room is approximately 45-60 minutes. After the procedure, the cancerous focus becomes dead tissue and shrinks over time.

NOTE:

The documents of the European Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology were used as a basis in the preparation of this text. (cirse.org/patients).

This document contains general medical information. The information in this document should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.