PROSTATE
CANCER CRYOTHERAPY
Overview
The Prostate Gland
and Its Relation to Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy
ablation, a treatment option for prostate
cancer, is a minimally invasive procedure utilizing
cryosurgery (freezing) technology to destroy cancerous
prostatic cells. Suitable as a primary and salvage
(a prostate cancer recurrence after radiation
therapy) prostate cancer treatment option, cryosurgical
ablation involves the freezing and thawing of
the entire prostate gland, however focal
cryoablation freezes only the portion of the
prostate containing the malignancy.
The prostate is a muscular gland about the size of a walnut, located in the pelvis below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate is comprised of several small glands encased in the prostate capsule. Of these glands, the peripheral zone, where prostate cancer most commonly originates, is the largest. The prostate has a key role in the reproduction process, producing protective fluids that aid the sperm during ejaculation.
The Prostate Gland: Understanding its Zones
• Peripheral Zone: Located in the back of the prostate gland closest to the rectum, around 80% of all prostate cancer cases originate in this area.
• Central Zone: Prevents semen from backing up into the bladder. About 5% of prostate cancer cases originate in the central zone.
• Transition Zone: Surrounds the urethra. The transition zone makes up about 5% of the glandular volume and is the site of about 10% of prostate cancers.
Prostate Cancer Stages and What It Means for the Prostate
Individuals with a prostate cancer diagnosis or recurrence who have multilateral cancer, meaning that the malignancy occurs at several sites within the prostate, will need a complete freezing and thawing of the gland in order to obtain a possible prostate cancer cure. The gland, along with a rim of surrounding tissue, will be destroyed during these types of minimally invasive ablative surgeries.
According to pathological findings
of men who had surgery at Duke University, clinical
studies suggest 1 in 5 men who receive a diagnosis
of prostate cancer have unilateral (one-sided)
prostate cancer. For these individuals, focal
cryotherapy may be an option. This minimally
invasive nerve
sparing procedure targets malignant tissue
while preserving benign tissue and nerve bundles
that are associated with erectile function. As
only a portion of the prostate gland will be destroyed,
it is essential to continuously monitor your prostate
for a cancer recurrence. Should the cancer reappear,
cryotherapy can be repeated and administered to
the affected area.
Galil Medical, innovators of cryotherapy
technology, has delivered a new era of cryosurgical
(freezing) technology. Ultra-thin
cryoablation needles, high resolution ultrasound,
CT, or MR imaging, along with real-time temperature
monitoring, enable a higher level of control,
allowing targeted ablation and the preservation
of adjacent healthy tissue. To learn more about
cryotherapy and the Galil Medical approach, visit
the following links: Cryotherapy
Patient Criteria, Technological
Advances, and Galil
Medical Cryotherapy.
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