The Parc Taulí Breast Pathology Unit has started to apply the radiological technique of cryoablation in the treatment of breast cancer. The team of Dr. Amaya Martin have been the pioneers in using it in Vallès Occidental.
This procedure of tumor destruction by freezing is a minimally invasive radiological technique in which a fine-gauge needle is used to reach the tumor and destroy the cancer cells by freezing, through the introduction of 'an extremely cold gas, argon.
It is an outpatient technique that does not require the patient to be hospitalized and is performed with local anesthesia. The procedure is very quick, with an average duration of about 30-40 minutes.
At the beginning of March, the radiology service of the Breast Pathology Unit used this technique, for the first time, to treat a tumor of 2 cm in diameter in the breast of an 82-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities that prevented the surgical intervention. In addition, the tumor was unresponsive to hormone therapy, which is the usual alternative treatment for inoperable elderly patients.
Twenty-four hours after the cryoablation treatment, the nursing team calls the patient for a telephone follow-up. Then you should continue with the scheduled visits with your specialist.
Since March, two women have been successfully treated, but the number of patients treated is expected to increase.
Cryoablation treatment is indicated for elderly women with different comorbidities, who are not operable, and who do not respond to hormone therapy.
Although, right now, the main treatment for breast tumors is surgery, cryoablation is being studied as an alternative in specific cases. "The results of the different studies are very good and comparable to those of surgery", explained Dr. Amaya Martí
So far, cryoablation is used in kidney, vascular, musculoskeletal, cervical and prostate cancers, among others.
Breast Pathology Unit
The Parc Taulí Breast Pathology Unit is made up of professionals from various services and fields, with the aim of offering patients quality, resolute and comprehensive health care, providing them with information about their diagnosis and treatment, having always taking into account their individual needs and respecting their decisions throughout the entire process. This Unit treats around 350 women with breast cancer a year.
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