Cryoablation is new, office-based treatment for benign breast tumors.

2002 DEC 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a research study, cryoablation offers a convenient, office-based treatment option for women with fibroadenomas, the most common form of benign breast tumor.

The study, "Office-based ultrasound-guided cryoablation of breast fibroadenomas," documents the success of the Sanarus Visica Treatment System, the only minimally invasive procedure that enables treatment of a breast fibroadenoma with cryoablation, or extreme cold, in a doctor's office without surgery or stitches.

The Visica Treatment System is conducted in the comfort of the doctor's office, and involves placing a small needle (about the width of a matchstick) into the center of the breast tumor under ultrasound guidance. The surgeon then activates the Visica system, causing the freezing tip of the needle to deliver extreme cold to the tumor, thereby destroying it. The "iceball" that encompasses and destroys the tumor is easily viewed with ultrasound. Since the treatment is performed under local anesthesia, patients remain awake throughout the procedure. Patients resume normal activity immediately following the procedure.

For this study, published in the November 2002 issue of the American Journal of Surgery, doctors used the Visica Treatment System to treat more than 50 fibroadenomas. Initial results indicate that after 12 months, the patients' fibroadenomas had regressed by an average of 92%.

"Patients were pleased with this simple procedure and were impressed by how easily their fibroadenomas disappeared," said lead study author Cary Kaufman, MD, assistant clinical professor of surgery, University of Washington, and medical director of the Bellingham Breast Center in Bellingham, Washington. "Several patients had previously undergone breast surgery and preferred the convenience and comfort of the Visica Treatment procedure. Our research shows that women now have a less invasive, virtually pain-free option for treating their fibroadenomas. This new treatment has the benefits of surgery without going through the operation."

Each year, about 80% of breast biopsies result in a benign diagnosis. The most common form of benign breast tumor is a fibroadenoma. Typically, the treatment for fibroadenomas has been surgical excision, a procedure that takes place in an operating room and usually involves sedation or even general anesthesia, stitches and a 2-3 day recovery period. In the ...