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William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
Posted: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
According to research recently presented at the 2024 Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Annual Meeting (Abstract 2), cryoablation may prove to be an effective alternative to surgery for those with large breast cancer tumors who are unable or unwilling to have surgery. Interventional radiologist Yolanda Bryce, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues shared their findings from a retrospective study of 60 patients who underwent the freezing technique. They plan to continue to follow these patients to collect data on the approach’s effectiveness and the potential impact of using adjuvant therapies with cryoablation.
“Surgery is still the best option for tumor removal, but there are thousands of women who, for various reasons, cannot have surgery,” Dr. Bryce commented in an SIR press release. “We are optimistic that this can give more women hope on their treatment journeys.”
The investigators assessed outcomes for 60 patients who underwent cryoablation; they were either not candidates for surgery or refused surgery after consultation with a breast surgeon because of age, cardiac issues, hypertension, or currently undergoing chemotherapy for another cancer. Their tumor sizes ranged from 0.3 to 9 cm, with an average of 2.5 cm. Those with larger tumors (> 1.4 cm) were treated with multiple probes (one probe placement for each cm of disease). In a follow-up after 16 months, the recurrence rate was 10%, which Dr. Bryce called “incredibly promising.”
Depending on patient eligibility or preference, the procedures were performed with local anesthesia or minimal sedation. The freeze-thaw cycle started with 5 to 10 minutes of freezing, followed by 5 to 8 minutes of passive thaw, and then 5 to 10 minutes of freezing at 100% intensity. Patients were able to go home on the same day, following the treatment, according to the study authors.
Disclosure: No disclosure information for the study authors was submitted.
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