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Sandy Srinivas, MD
Sandy Srinivas, MD
Posted: Monday, December 19, 2022
Whole gland cryoablation is a viable option for patients with localized prostate cancer, according to a study published in the journal Cancer. “With the advancement of modern equipment, cryotherapy probes are now much smaller, have a more controlled freeze length, are able to be placed via a transperineal approach using a brachytherapy grid template, and use argon rather than liquid nitrogen that ultimately facilitates rapid freezing and thawing with better precision,” said Thomas J. Polascik, MD, FACS, of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues.
The retrospective study included 260 men with localized prostate cancer and no prior therapy who were treated at a tertiary referral center from January 2002 to September 2019. All patients underwent whole gland cryoablation via argon gas. The authors reported a median follow-up of 107 months, during which there were no prostate cancer–related deaths. Furthermore, the investigators stated that at the 10-year mark, biochemical recurrence–free survival, failure-free survival, and metastasis-free survival rates were 84%, 66%, and 96%, respectively.
Analysis of symptoms before and after the procedure revealed identical American Urological Association symptom score and bother index, which was 7 prior to ablation and 2 following ablation. Median erectile function prior to cryoablation was 7 and reported at 1 following cryoablation. Of note, no cases of fistula occurred, and grade 3 or greater adverse events were reported in 2.3% of patients. However, the authors noted that 8.8% of patients developed complications.
The investigators concluded: “The potential benefit of cryoablation of the prostate includes minimal blood loss, short operative time, its outpatient nature is less invasive with lower adverse impact on urinary continence, and [it] may have similar survival outcomes to radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy.”
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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