Cryoablation is a treatment to kill cancer cells with extreme cold.
During cryoablation, a thin, wand-like needle (cryoprobe) is inserted through your skin and directly into the cancerous tumor. A gas is pumped into the cryoprobe in order to freeze the tissue. Then the tissue is allowed to thaw. The freezing and thawing process is repeated several times during the same treatment session.
Cryoablation may be used to treat cancer when surgery isn't an option. Cryoablation is sometimes used as a primary treatment for:
- Bone cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Eye cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
Cryoablation is also used to relieve the pain and other symptoms caused by cancer that spreads to the bone (bone metastasis) or other organs.
Cryoablation may also be called percutaneous cryoablation, cryosurgery or cryotherapy.
July 14, 2015
- Cryotherapy. RadiologyInfo.org. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=cryo. Accessed June 1, 2015.