Cryoablation: Less Invasive Treatment Finding Some Success — Dr. Max Gomez

Everyone is impacted by cancer in some way or another and we all wish the treatments weren’t so demanding on the body. Dr. Max Gomez visits Mount Sinai Union Square to learn about a lesser-known and less invasive treatments that’s finding some success, it’s called cryoablation. “You are freezing the tissue, creating icicles and ice inside the tissue and the cells. But that’s not what kills the tissue. What it does is actually the thawing phase, which bursts those cells,” said Michael A. Palese, MD, site chair for the department of urology at Mount Sinai Downtown and professor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Cryoablation involves inserting a probe into cancerous tumors inside the body, and then freezing them with liquid nitrogen, or very cold argon gas. Precise placement is key, aided by imaging, like ultrasounds or CAT scans. “We have been using it particularly for prostate cancer for a number of years. It has also been used successfully for kidney cancer,” Dr. Palese added.

• Michael A. Palese, MD, Site Chair, Department of Urology, Mount Sinai Downtown, Professor, Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  Learn more