Faster, gentler treatment leaves breast cancer out in the cold

YouTube by St. Johns

CANCER DIGEST – May 6, 2014 – Freezing tumors may be a promising, less-invasive technique for treating small early-stage breast cancers according to a results of a study presented in Las Vegas last week at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) Annual Meeting. Lead author Dr. Rache Simmons says the procedure does not need an operating room and can take as little as 20 minutes. The study involved 86 patients from 19 treatment centers with 87 small breast cancers. For the procedure, a cryoprobe was inserted and guided by ultrasound into the targeted lump. Then alternating freezing and thawing with the probe, the tumor is ablated or eradicated. The ablated tissue was then removed surgically and examined by a pathologist. The pathology results found that 100% of patients’ tumors less than 1 cm in size had no remaining invasive cancer. Overall 69 percent of all tumors were successfully ablated with no residual cancer. “Compared to surgery, cryoablation is far less invasive and provides better cosmetic results, shorter procedure time and faster recovery,” Simmons said in a press release.

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