cryotherapy is one of the newer treatments that is being evaluated for use in the early stage of prostate cancer. this treatment kills the cancer cells by freezing them. the freezing is accomplished by inserting a freezing liquid (for example liquid nitrogen or argon) through needles directly into the prostate gland. the procedure is accomplished under the guidance of ultrasound images. actually cryotherapy is not a new technique. rather it is a modification of a procedure that was tried previously but had an unacceptably high rate of complications. thus cryotherapy was used in the 1960s to freeze the lining of the stomach to treat ulcers but was discontinued because it also severely damaged the lining of the stomach. at present cryotherapy is recommended for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer who for whatever reason are not candidates for the more established treatments. cryotherapy is further being studied to determine which other patients might benefit from this treatment. for example studies are under way to establish whether cryotherapy is beneficial as an initial treatment for organ-confined (localized) prostate cancer. the effectiveness of cryotherapy in eliminating prostate cancer however has not yet been proven. we do know that sometimes the freezing liquid fails to kill all of the cancer cells. moreover the potential side effects of this treatment include damage to the urethra and bladder. this damage can cause obstruction (blockage) of the urethra fistulas (abnormal tunnels) that leak urine or serious infections.
what is cryotherapy for prostate cancer?