Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy (also known as cryosurgery) involves freezing cancerous tissue to extremely cold temperatures (–190 °C) in order to kill the cells. At NYU Urology Associates, we have acquired the most advanced cryosurgical system available and use it for the treatment of small kidney cancers in a small subset of patients and recurrent prostate cancer in patients.

In cryosurgery, the surgeon locates and monitors the tumor using an ultrasound probe or a real-time computed tomography (CAT) scan. When the tumor has been precisely localized and visualized, the surgeon inserts needles into its center and injects a very cold gas or liquid, taking care not to damage surrounding healthy tissues. The extreme cold destroys the tumor cells and the blood vessels that feed them.

Cryotherapy for the treatment of kidney cancer

In a small subset of patients with early-stage kidney cancers who are too weak to undergo general anesthesia, we use cryotherapy to treat tumors percutaneously in conjunction with the NYU Department of Interventional Radiology. After the administration of local anesthesia, a small incision is made in the patient’s back and the cryoprobe is inserted into the center of the tumor. The lesion is confirmed to be ablated using real-time CAT scan or ultrasound imaging. The patient typically stays in the hospital one night.

Cryotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

For patients who have recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy, we use cryotherapy as “salvage” therapy. Using ultrasound imaging, real-time CAT scan and an external needle guide for guidance, the surgeon inserts a cryoprobe through the skin of the perineum, ablating the prostate without injuring nearby structures. Patients stay overnight in the hospital and are usually back to normal activities within 1–2 weeks.

At NYU Urology Associates, we are investigating this cryotherapy as a primary treatment for prostate cancer. We are also studying focal cryotherapy, which destroys only cancerous cells rather than the entire prostate.

Watch videos of cryotherapy

• Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Cryoablation of Renal Mass
• Transperitoneal Laparoscopic Cryoablation of Renal Mass

Related publications by NYU urologists

• O'Malley RL, Berger AD, Kanofsky JA, Phillips CK, Stifelman M, Taneja SS. A matched-cohort comparison of laparoscopic cryoablation and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for treating renal masses. BJU Int. 2007 Feb;99(2):395-8.