Prostate Cancer

Cryotherapy

Another way to kill prostate cancer is to freeze the prostate. Cryotherapy involves inserting 5 to 7 thin metal rods, each about 6 inches long, through the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus) and into the prostate. Once the rod tips are in place, liquid nitrogen is released into the rods, where it circulates and plunges the temperature to about minus 374° F. As the tissue around the rods freezes, the formation and expansion of ice crystals within the cancerous cells cause them to rupture and die. To keep the urethra from freezing along with the prostate, a catheter is placed inside the urethra and filled with a warming solution.