Why The Less Invasive Breast Cancer Treatment 'Freezing' Is A Game-Changer For Patients

Why The Less Invasive Breast Cancer Treatment 'Freezing' Is A Game-Changer For Patients

As many as 60 patients underwent cryoablation because they were 'not candidates for surgery' or 'refused surgery after consultation with a breast surgeon' because of factors like age, cardiac issues, hypertension. Or they were undergoing chemotherapy for another cancer. (Photo: Freepik)

It has been learnt that when freezing is combined with hormonal therapy and radiation, patients can have nearly 100 per cent of their tumors destroyed, and if the tumors do return, patients can be treated with cryoablation multiple times to control growth.

Just like many other dreaded forms of cancer, breast cancer is also an aggressive one that often requires a patient to undergo surgeries as means to save their life and rid them of this disease. But, for patients who were previously unable to undergo a surgery for breast cancer, there may soon be a new, less-invasive treatment option that can revolutionise cancer care and save their lives. It is a process called 'cryoablation'. According to a press release shared by the Society of Interventional Radiology some time back, cryoablation uses 'imaging guidance' such as 'ultrasound or a computed tomography (CT) scan' to locate tumors.

Freeze And Destroy Tumors

Cryoablation uses ice to 'freeze and destroy' small, cancerous tumors. But, it has now been proven effective for breast cancer patients with large tumors as well. According to the Society of Interventional Radiology press release, after the tumors have been scanned and located, an interventional radiologist inserts small, needle-like probes into the breast to 'create an ice ball' that surrounds the tumor, killing the cancer cells.

Why Is This Revolutionary?

Per the release, when freezing is combined with hormonal therapy and radiation, patients can have nearly 100 per cent of their tumors destroyed. "If the tumors do grow, patients can be treated with cryoablation multiple times to control growth. The treatment has been successfully used to treat tumors smaller than 1.5 cm, but its effectiveness on larger tumors was not extensively demonstrated until now," the statement read.

Yolanda Bryce, M.D., an interventional radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said -- as mentioned in the press release -- that for patients who have larger tumors but cannot undergo surgery, this approach could be 'more effective' than the current standard of care for patients who are not surgical candidates. "When treated with only radiation and hormonal therapy, tumors will eventually return. So, the fact that we saw only a 10 per cent recurrence rate in our study is incredibly promising."

A Retrospective Study

There was a study conducted to arrive at this conclusion, for which 60 patients underwent cryoablation because they were 'not candidates for surgery' or 'refused surgery after consultation with a breast surgeon' because of factors like age, cardiac issues, hypertension. Or they were undergoing chemotherapy for another cancer. Their tumor sizes ranged from 0.3-9 cm with an average size of 2.5cm. Patients with tumors larger than 1.4 cm were treated with multiple probes -- one probe placement for each centimeter of disease. After 16 months, it was found during a follow-up that recurrence rate was just 10 per cent. Bryce said that while surgery is still the 'best option' for tumor removal, there are 'thousands of women who, for various reasons, cannot have surgery'. "We are optimistic that this can give more women hope on their treatment journeys."

How Was The Procedure Performed?

The procedures were performed under local anesthesia or with minimal sedation, depending on the eligibility and preference of the patient. The 'freeze-thaw' cycle started with 5-10 minutes of freezing, followed by 5-8 minutes of passive thaw, and then 5-10 minutes freezing at '100 per cent intensity'. Patients were able to go home the same day after the treatment.