Prostate cancer treatment aims to freeze further development

When it comes to cancer treatment, several options come to mind, such as chemotherapy, surgery, and or radiation; however, there is another option that may prove to be as effective.

Through the use of cryotherapy, cancer doctors are utilizing the extreme cold to freeze cancer cells inside tumors from reproducing.

WINK News medical reporter Amy Oshier spoke with urologist Dr. Erin Hietman at the Precision Healthcare Specialist in Bonita Springs regarding this treatment and the future of early detection screenings.

The exciting thing, and I think where the future of prostate cancer is heading, are actually focal therapies,” said Heitman.”Cryotherapy, or freezing therapy, causes cell death by freezing those cells, basically freezing and then essentially bursting once they’re thawed.”

Through cryotherapy, patients can go home on the same day of treatment; however, due to the requirement of specialized equipment, Heitman can only do the procedure from the operating room.

“Cryotherapy involves placing needles through the perineum, directly into the prostate, and doing, traditionally, two cycles of freezing and thawing,” said Heitman.

Through this method, cryotherapy offers a variety of benefits with limited side effects, the most important being repeated use, an option not available with radiation.

Cryotherapy is now considered a primary option for some tumors; however, this method is not used for cancer that has metastasized and spread outside the prostate gland.