Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation)

Minimally Invasive Urology - Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation)

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About Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation)

Cryotherapy treatment, also called ablation or cryoablation, is a very minimally invasive approach to treatment that is transforming the care of prostate and kidney cancers. In traditional surgeries for these cancers, surgeons make large incisions and cut out the disease. Using cryotherapy, surgeons freeze the disease, destroying it at its site, and leaving surrounding normal tissues intact. Columbia Urology's minimally invasive urology team has pioneered many aspects of kidney and prostate cryoablation, and has more experience using this technology to treat both kidney and prostate cancer than any other surgical team in the world.

During cryotherapy treatment surgeons insert several needles into the tumor site to freeze and destroy the cancer cells. Argon and helium gas circulate through the needles, lowering the temperature to -40°C for several minutes. Surgeons can control the extent of freezing and evaluate the organ and needle placement with ultrasound imaging during the cryotherapy treatment.

Advantages of Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation) Over Open Procedures

Compared with open surgical procedures such as radical prostatectomy or partial nephrectomy, cryotherapy is less invasive and causes fewer side effects. Cryotherapy is either an outpatient procedure or involves a very short hospital stay. Recovery following cryotherapy treatment is rapid.

Because cryotherapy has a very low risk of complications such as bleeding, so it truly minimizes the risk of treatment for kidney cancer. Cryotherapy for prostate cancer entails a lower risk of side effects such as incontinence. And for some men who undergo prostatectomy, cryotherapy treatment results in only minimal damage to the nerves involved in sexual function.

Drs. Katz and Landman: Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation) Specialists

Columbia Urology surgeon Dr. Aaron Katz is one of the foremost practitioners of cryotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. He has been treating prostate cancer patients with cryotherapy since the early 1990s and has performed more than 400 cryotherapeutic procedures on the prostate.

Dr. Jaime Landman at Columbia Urology is an internationally recognized expert in cryotherapy treatment for kidney cancer. He is one of the most experienced surgeons anywhere with this type of kidney surgery. Dr. Landman and the Columbia University Minimally Invasive Urology Team pioneered kidney ablation and have defined the type of patients who will benefit most from this treatment approach, thereby optimizing patient outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria for Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation)

Columbia Urology offers cryotherapy treatment to men with localized, aggressive prostate cancer that has recurred following radiation therapy or is not curable by radical surgery or radiation. We also offer cryotherapy treatment as a focal therapy for patients with low-risk prostate cancer who have a minimal amount of tumor in one area of the gland. We are investigating the effectiveness of a combination of hormonal therapy and cryotherapy treatment to improve the results of cryotherapy for prostate cancer. Cryotherapy is also an appropriate treatment avenue for patients with small kidney tumors – those less than 3.5 cm. We work to ensure that each kidney cancer patient receives the least invasive and most effective treatment for his or her disease.