Cryotherapy for prostate cancer
By Mayo Clinic staffCryotherapy is an alternative to surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Cryotherapy kills prostate cancer by freezing prostate tissue. This method has been shown to effectively control cancer in men with early-stage prostate cancer, though more studies are needed to determine the long-term results of this procedure. This treatment was primarily introduced as a "surgical" alternative to radiation without having to remove the prostate.
Cryotherapy involves inserting several thin metal rods through the perineum (between the scrotum and the anus) and into the prostate. An ultrasound probe in the rectum helps guide your doctor to position the rods. Once the rod tips are in place, liquid nitrogen or argon gas is released into the rods, where it circulates and freezes the nearby tissue. This causes the cancerous cells to rupture and die. To keep the urethra from freezing along with the prostate, a catheter is placed inside the urethra and filled with a warming solution.
The procedure is done in the hospital. You may have general anesthesia, so you are unconscious during the procedure, or your doctor may just numb the surgery area (local anesthesia). It takes about two to three hours, and results in very little blood loss. It takes about two to four weeks to recover from the procedure. You may be able to leave the hospital the day of the procedure. It takes your body about nine months to a year to shed the dead cells. The procedure may have to be repeated if all cancer cells aren't killed during the first treatment. The nerves that control erections are damaged, almost always resulting in long-term erectile dysfunction in order to adequately treat the entire prostate.
