PROSTATE
CANCER CRYOTHERAPY
Cryosurgery Procedures
Cryosurgery Process
for Prostate Cancer Treatment
Cryosurgery for prostate cancer treatment works best on prostates 40 grams or less in size. Three to six months prior to prostate cryosurgery, the patient may be placed on hormone therapy to block production of male hormones, which causes prostate cancer to grow. Hormone therapy, another prostate cancer treatment option, shrinks the prostate and cancer prior to cryotherapy and improves the chances of freezing the entire prostate. During the minimally invasive procedure,
multiple cryoablation
needles are inserted into the prostate through
the perineum (the area between the anus and scrotum).
This is done with the patient under general or
local anesthesia, with general being less common.
An ultrasound probe inserted in the rectum monitors
the prostate during the cryosurgical treatment.
Cryotherapy in Prostate Cancer Patients
During cryosurgery for prostate cancer, the patient is placed in the dorsal lithotomy position. This position places the patient so that his legs are opened and lifted to a 90-degree angle. The perineum is placed over the edge of the operating table. The dorsal lithotomy position gives the doctor a clear view of the insertion point for the minimally invasive surgery.
While the prostate cancer cryosurgery
patient is anesthetized the doctor uses ultrasound
guidance to insert 6-8 small cryoablation
needles through the perineum into accurate
locations in the prostate gland. A warming catheter
is used to protect the urethra from freezing since
the urethra passes through the prostate gland.
Thermal
sensors keep track of the temperature around
the prostate to avoid damage to the bladder and
rectum. This helps avoid damage to nearby organs
and dramatically lowers the rates of incontinence
or other side effects. When the needles are in
place, a freezing agent, typically argon gas,
is injected through the cryoablation
needles to create negative 40 degree Celsius
temperatures. This creates a lethally cold ice
ball that freezes the prostate and the cancer
cells in it. Once frozen, a different gas in injected
into the needle to instantly warm it up. The thawing
process ruptures and kills the cells in the prostate
gland. This is called the freeze-thaw process.
This process is repeated to ensure all cancerous
cells are destroyed and help stop future prostate
cancer recurrence.
Throughout the cryosurgery
for prostate cancer procedure, temperature monitors
are used to allow physicians to determine when
target temperatures have been reached. The cancer
tumor and its blood supply are destroyed and the
dead tissue is re-absorbed or remains in the body
as harmless scar tissue.
When the freeze-thaw process is finished, the warming catheter is removed and a urinary catheter is inserted in place to help with any urinary incontinence. The urinary catheter is typically removed after two or three days; unless incontinence persists.
Cryosurgery results for prostate cancer
are generally well received. Read more about cryosurgery
treatment success rates.
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