Cryotherapy is a form of treatment for prostate cancer. The purpose of this technique is to eradicate the prostate cancer through freezing of affected tissue. This therapy consists in inserting needles into the prostate gland under anesthesia.



The needles are inserted into the prostate gland through the perineum which is the area between the anus and the scrotum. The needles are ultra-thin. This process destroys the entire prostate and the cancerous cells. The ultrasound helps doctor to accurately guide the needles and to precisely shape the ice balls and the size and shape.

The cryotherapy is an efficient treatment for all patients who have failed other previous radiation treatment. This is used to cure prostate cancer in the stage T2c or above when patients don't want to go through the risk of a major surgery. The cryotherpy has its downside in the decreased sexual function.

The good thing is that patients can recover well after this treatment. This can be used as a secondary treatment for cases when other treatment has failed. The major risk from cryotherapy is the erectile dysfunction. The freezing of the prostate during the procedure can affect the nerve associated with the erection. The benefit from the cryotherapy is that this treatment has a very small recovery time.

Patients can return to their normal life in a few days. This procedure can be done in less than two hours. Besides impotence might be other side effects related to the procedure such as scrotal swelling, blood in the urine, moderate pelvic pain and mild urinary urgency. These side effects can go away in a few weeks after the treatment. This treatment of prostate cancer has his advantages and that's why a clean method of treatment is. With the use of ultrasound technology and these ultra-thin needles this technique allows a very accurate treatment of only the affected tissue.

The prostate cancer continues to grow and affect nearby tissues and without any treatment can develop into a metastasized form. In the metastasized form there is very difficult to use an efficient treatment. After the surgery the doctor may recommend some medicines such as: antibiotics to help prevent eventual infections; anti nausea medicine to calm the stomach after taking pain medicine that can produce vomiting.

Many times anti nausea and anti pain medicine are given in the same time. Other medicines that are prescribed after the surgery are hormone medicines that aim to block testosterone which can influence the development of tumor.

The hormone medicines after the surgery help reduce the tumor and also prevent any further problems. Other medicines are pain medicines to decrease the pain after the procedure. The diet can influence the recovery after the cryotherapy surgery. Patients treated using this type of therapy may drink lots of liquids such as water, juice or soda pop. When there are no problems after this, the patient can eat soft foods such as applesauce, ice cream, custard. Once there are no problems in eating all of this, the patient can eat normal food.