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◼ Needle cooled to -170C with liquid nitrogen repeatedly inserted into cancerous tissueSurgery may soon be a thing of the past for breast cancer patients, thanks to a new technique that destroys tumours by freezing them.
◼ Device turns cancerous tumour into 'ball of ice'
◼ Technique developed by Israel-based firm could be completed in 15 minutes without need for surgery
◼ Cryoablation could one day be used to treat kidney, prostate and liver cancer
A supercooled needle tip is repeatedly inserted into the cancerous tissue to turn it into a ball of ice, before it is then defrosted, leaving the tumour damaged.
Not requiring anaesthetic, the technique can be completed in about 15 minutes and could provide a better alternative to the current method of surgery, which requires women to stay in hospital for up to a week and can leave scars....
Thirty breast cancer patients are currently trialling the system, which uses a needle cooled to -170C (-274F) by pumping liquid nitrogen through a network of tiny tubes.
The surgeon can control the size of the ice ball produced to ensure it freezes the entire tumour in a procedure known as cryoablation....
The device has already been approved for use in the United States and IceCure is hopeful of getting European approval next year....MORE AT THE LINK
