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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffCryotherapy freezes tissue within the prostate gland. After being frozen, the prostate cancer cells die.
Your doctor may recommend cryotherapy for prostate cancer as an option at different times during your cancer treatment and for different reasons, including:
- As the only (primary) treatment for cancer, usually for early-stage cancer that is confined to your prostate
- After other cancer treatment, such as radiation therapy, to stop the growth of prostate cancer that has returned (salvage therapy)
References
- Shelley M, et al. Cryotherapy for localized prostate cancer (Review). The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005010.pub2/abstract. Accessed March 4, 2013.
- Bozzini G, et al. Focal therapy of prostate cancer: Energies and procedures. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. 2012. In press. Accessed March 5, 2013.
- Pisters LL, et al. Cryotherapy and other ablative techniques for the initial treatment of prostate cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 5, 2013.
- Prostate cancer. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/index. Accessed March 4, 2013.
- Cryoablation for prostate cancer. Urology Care Foundation. http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=108. Accessed March 4, 2013.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 9, 2013.
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