Cryoablation

Cryoablation, also known as cryotherapy or cryosurgery, uses cold to freeze and kill cancer tissue.

What diseases does cryoablation treat?

Cryoablation can treat several cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, and various other soft tissue cancers. In these cases, it can be part of a plan to cure the patient.

It is also used to treat cancers that have spread, or metastasized, to the bone, soft tissue and, in limited cases, liver. If there are a small number of these tumors, the treatment can help cure the disease. When there are more metastatic tumors, the treatment is instead used to help slow or stop the cancer’s progress and relieve symptoms.  

Who gets cryoablation?

Cryoablation is typically offered to patients who are not healthy enough for surgery or whose cancer cannot be removed with surgery due to the size, location or the number of tumors. In some cases, the procedure can be used with cancer drugs such as immunotherapies to make the drugs more effective.

What happens during a cryoablation procedure?

During a cryoablation procedure, doctors use a live image from an ultrasound or CT scan to guide a needle-thin probe into the tumor. The probe is then cooled to below freezing. A ball of ice forms at the tip of the probe, freezing and destroying cancerous tissue.

Cryoablation is performed under general anesthesia. Most patients spend one night in the hospital after the procedure, though some are able to go home the same day. Patients are usually able to walk a few days after the procedure and are fully recovered in two to three weeks.

What are the side effects of cryoablation?

Cryoablation side effects are usually mild, though they can be more serious depending on the treatment location.

Possible side effects include pain at the injection site, bleeding and nerve injury, such as loss of sensation or motor function. Some patients experience flu-like symptoms, which can be treated with over-the-counter medications.

Lung cancer patients may develop pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung caused by air collecting around and putting pressure on the organ. Patients may get a temporary tube in the chest that helps release this air.

Cryoablation at MD Anderson

Choosing where to go for cancer care is one of the most important decisions you can make. At MD Anderson, patients are treated by a team of doctors that usually includes a medical oncologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist and interventional radiologist. They work together to design a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient.

If the team recommends cryoablation, you’ll get care from leaders in the field. Our doctors are among the most experienced in the world at cryoablation treatment. This gives them incredible experience and expertise when designing each treatment. As members of a top-ranked cancer center, they have access to the most advanced technologies, allowing them to deliver the most effective treatment while minimizing side effects.

And at MD Anderson you will be surrounded by the strength of one of the nation's largest and most experienced cancer centers. From support groups to counseling to integrative medicine care, we have all the services needed to treat not just the disease, but the whole person.