Cryoablation, a promising new treatment for breast cancer and an alternative to surgery, is an emerging option that's being studied at Houston Methodist hospital.
The concept uses sub-zero temperatures to freeze and destroy diseased tissue, and it's less invasive than surgery. In an outpatient procedure, a thin probe is inserted into the breast where doctors freeze the tumor. The tissue then thaws and releases antibodies that support the patient’s immune system, and that can help support additional immunotherapy treatment.
A study found that more than 97% of patients who underwent the procedure remained cancer-free, with many seeing five years without a recurrence.
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Cryoablation has been used in the past to treat tumors in the kidneys and prostate. The technology had been around for about two decades but only recently gained interest from doctors who treat breast cancer.
A number of other hospitals are also involved in clinical trials, so cryoablation is still awaiting full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Research over the next five years will help determine which patients most benefit from the treatment.