‘Cold Treatment’ for prostate cancer

Using cold temperatures on prostate tissue to kill cancer cells – or what’s called cryotherapy – offers an excellent option for some prostate cancer patients, experts say.

It not only works very well for the right cases, but the risk of complications is low.

 “It is minimally invasive and incision-free,” says urologist David Levy, MD on Health Cleveland Clinic.org. “In fact, we don’t remove the prostate — it simply turns into scar tissue while preserving normal urinary function,” he says.

Men with early-stage prostate cancer can often benefit from cryotherapy. Doctors also recommend it for patients whose radiation treatments were unsuccessful.

However, cryotherapy won’t work for everyone. It may not work well for men with larger prostates, but in those cases, hormone therapy may shrink the gland and make these patients eligible candidates.

Here is what happens during this outpatient procedure, performed under general anesthesia:

A doctor inserts six to eight tiny needles through the skin between the anus and scrotum into the prostate using ultrasound guidance to ensure correct placement.

Argon gas supercools the needles and freezes the prostate tissue, killing it and the cancer. After surgery, patients are sent home with a catheter. Within a day or two, they can do some mildly physical tasks, like mowing the lawn.

Within a week, patients come for a follow-up visit, and their catheter removed.

Five weeks later, your doctor retests your PSA with the target being less than 0.4 ng/ml.

With any prostate cancer treatment, potential side effects include urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and altered bowel function, as well as others related to hormone therapy.

However, during cryotherapy, the millimeter precision with which your doctor places the needles helps minimize these side effects.

When compared with radiation therapy, cryotherapy results in lower risks of altered bowel and bladder function.

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