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How to Freeze the Prostate as a Cancer Treatment
by Sandy Keefe
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Overview
Cryotherapy, also known as cryoablation or cryosurgery, is a procedure that involves freezing the prostate gland. Developed in the early 1990s as a treatment for prostate cancer, this procedure destroys the entire prostate, including any cancerous cells within it. According to the Prostate Cancer Institute, cryotherapy is an option for men who don't want to adopt a "watchful waiting approach" or undergo major surgery. It offers a minimally intrusive alternative to surgical removal of the prostate and is done under general or spinal anesthesia.
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Step 1
Discuss the cryotherapy option with your doctor. According to Urology Health, cryotherapy works best for men who have little or no spread of cancerous cells outside the prostate. It works well as an initial treatment, as well as a follow-up to radiation therapy.
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Step 2
Follow your doctor's preoperative instructions. Cryotherapy is done on an outpatient basis, so you'll be going home the same day. Complete any lab tests or other diagnostic procedures ordered by the doctor, and obtain any necessary authorizations from your insurance company.
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Step 3
Make lifestyle choices to improve your health status prior to cryotherapy. While freezing the prostate is a minor procedure with few risks, it is done under anesthesia that can lead to complications. Eat nutritionally balanced meals, get plenty of exercise, and avoid coming into contact with people who have colds or other contagious illnesses.
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Step 4
Take steps to avoid surgical complications. Make sure you follow all directions to avoid food or fluid for a specified time prior to surgery. Notify your doctor and nurse of any medications and herbal products you're taking, since these can interfere with safe analgesia.
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Step 5
Keep your appointment for cryotherapy. According to the Prostate Cancer Institute, your surgeon will use ultra-thin needles to create sub-zero ice balls and inject them into your prostate. He'll use ultrasound guidance to insert the needles in the right areas, to produce ice balls of just the right shape and size, and to monitor the effect of the freezing.
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Step 6
Watch for side effects of cryotherapy and anesthesia. Some patients experience temporary urinary incontinence or develop an abnormal opening between the urethra and rectum. Other possible side effects include pelvic pain, bloody urine, swelling of the scrotum and urinary urgency. According to the Prostate Cancer Institute, these side effects typically go away in a few weeks.
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- With the development of smaller needles and more precise instruments, a field known as focal cryotherapy is emerging. Ask your doctor if he is able to freeze only the cancerous part of your prostate, rather than the whole gland.
- With the development of smaller needles and more precise instruments, a field known as focal cryotherapy is emerging. Ask your doctor if he is able to freeze only the cancerous part of your prostate, rather than the whole gland.
- Cryotherapy may destroy nerves that produce erections, leading to erectile dysfunction, or impotence. Discuss this possibility with your surgeon so you can make an informed decision about the procedure.
- Cryotherapy may destroy nerves that produce erections, leading to erectile dysfunction, or impotence. Discuss this possibility with your surgeon so you can make an informed decision about the procedure.
