A procedure that some men with early stage prostate cancer may consider is cryotherapy. Also known as cryosurgery or cryoblation, this procedure is not commonly used in treating prostate cancer but it can be an alternative method men may want to consider depending on different circumstances.
Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure using very cold gas to freeze and destroy prostate cancer cells. The goal is to destroy the entire prostate gland reducing the chance of any cancer from coming back.
The procedure is not used often but may be recommended in the following situations:
Even though it is also called cryosurgery, it is actually not a type of surgery. A man who will be undergoing cryotherapy will either be sedated to make him drowsy with a numbing medicine placed on the perineum or a man can have spinal anesthesia where he is drowsy but awake, and numb below the waist. A man can also be placed under general anesthesia where he is fully asleep and pain free.
During the procedure a urologist will make small cuts to place several hollow needles into the perineum which is between the anus and scrotum. An ultrasound will be used to guide the needles to the prostate gland. Then very cold gas is injected into the needles to freeze and destroy the prostate gland. The ultrasound helps to identify the cancerous tissues within the prostate gland while limiting any damage to healthy prostate tissue.
Since the procedure involves extremely cold temperature, there will be a warm saline solution that is inserted into the catheter during the procedure to protect the urethra from freezing.
The entire procedure takes about 2 hours and is done as an outpatient procedure. Some men may need to stay overnight in the hospital but many men leave the same day.