Cryosurgery As An Option In Cancer Alternatives And Cure

Many methodologies and procedures have arisen as a result of the continued search for cancer alternatives and cure. Among these procedures, cryosurgery has gained considerable support and unlike other alternative methods, it is not being dismissed as bogus. Here is an overview of cryosurgery or cryotherapy and how it is applied to fight cancer.

A Definition of Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is a technique that rids the body of tumors by freezing (thereby destroying and killing) abnormal cells. The technique is based on the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal tissue. Typically, this is produced with the use liquid nitrogen or argon gas. The extreme cold is administered through many ways but the simplest would be the technique to treat external tumors. In this case, liquid nitrogen is applied directly to the cancer cells by spraying or by simply swabbing with cotton.

Description of the Technique

In cryosurgery, a hollow cryoprobe is used to introduce liquid nitrogen or argon into the tumor. A ball of ice crystals will form around the probe and this is what freezes the malignant cells. Meanwhile, imaging techniques such as ultrasound or MRI are used to guide the probe and monitor the progress of the freezing so that damage is not done to adjacent healthy cells.

Sometimes, to freeze the tumor several probes are used. These can be put into the tumor during surgery or percutaneously (through the skin). After cryosurgery, the frozen tissue thaws and is absorbed internally by the body or, if the tumor is external, it either forms a scab or dissolves.

Uses of Cryosurgery

At present, cryosurgery is popular as an alternative to surgery for prostate cancer confined to the prostate gland, for precancerous conditions of the cervix and for cancerous as well as noncancerous bone tumors.

It is also considered effective in the treatment of the following:

• Precancerous skin growths known as actinic keratosis.
• Early-stage skin cancers (both basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas).
• Retinoblastoma (a childhood cancer that affects the retina of the eye). Doctors have found that cryosurgery is most effective when the tumor is small and only in certain parts of the retina.

Research is currently being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of cryosurgery in treating cancers of the kidney, the colon, and the breast. Similarly, studies are being done on cryotherapy in combination with radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cryosurgery

There is a lot of curiosity about the advantages and disadvantages of cryosurgery as an option in cancer alternatives and cure. The studies that are currently being conducted will probably yield a better description of the benefits and possible risks and liabilities of the procedures used. At present, though, there are quite a few known advantages and disadvantages in the application of cryosurgery.

Advantages of Cryosurgery

Foremost among its advantages is that it targets only the tumor so that there is less collateral damage in terms of healthy tissue. It is also less invasive than surgery since the procedure entails only a small incision to insert the cryoprobe through the skin requiring only local anesthesia. This means there is less pain and bleeding and fewer possible complications.

Cryosurgery has fewer side effects than other cancer treatments and it is generally less expensive. Moreover, the recovery period for cryosurgery is much shorter than that of other therapies. The procedure requires a shorter hospital confinement and in many cases no confinement at all.

Cryosurgery can be safely used in combination with radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. In addition, it can be done repeatedly.

Disadvantages of Cryosurgery

As of now, there is insufficient data about its effectiveness in the long-term. This is partly because monitoring of the treatment with imaging techniques cannot include the microscopic spread of the disease. Furthermore, because cryosurgery does not enjoy the status of being standard therapy, it may not be covered by insurance.

The Future for Cryosurgery

The inevitable question regarding cryosurgery is how effective is it as an option for cancer alternatives and cure. This cannot be answered until sufficient studies have been made scientifically recording its success in controlling the disease and improving survival rates. When data becomes available, cryosurgery can be compared to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and a valid conclusion can be made. Regardless of how uncertain the results of such a comparison may be, for many cryosurgery will be an option to consider. This is because it may provide the only option for patients who are not good candidates for surgery, or have not responded to standard treatments or whose tumors are located in inoperable areas.