Health Brainstorming

    Freezing breast cancer tumors a better option

    SURGERY for small breast cancer tumors may soon be a thing of the past. A new procedure called cryoablation turns a tumor into a ball of ice. Instead of undergoing surgery to remove the tumor, a doctor can now freeze it.

    The Daily Telegraph reported Monday that doctors are looking into cyroablation as a viable alternative to breast cancer surgery. Cryoablation is available in the United States, but it’s not usually performed on breast cancer tumors. The procedure is simple: A needle is inserted into the tumor and causes it to freeze. There is no need to remove the tumor, as it dies and the body absorbs it.

    The needle is hooked up to specialized equipment, which is cooled to a chilly -274 degrees Fahrenheit. A network of tiny tubes deliver liquid nitrogen to the needle, and the physician controls the size of the “ice ball” delivered to the tumor. This allows the doctor to freeze breast cancer tumors as large as a golf ball.

    If cryoablation can be used as an alternative to breast cancer surgery, it will be wonderful. Instead of undergoing surgery that takes more than 12 hours, a patient would have a 15-minute procedure in a doctor’s office. Recovery time from surgery is more than a month. Cryoablation has little to no recovery time.

    Hopefully, cryoablation will become a reality for breast cancer patients. Not all women will fall into the guidelines for this procedure, but many will. (SD-Agencies)