The Future of Cryoablation
Years ago, I became aware of animal studies showing that cryoablation is capable of stimulating a beneficial immune response to cancer, similar to what is now understood for radiation therapy. It’s important to understand that the immune benefits of cryoablation in humans have not yet been conclusively proven.
However, the growing interest in cryoablation-immunology happens to coincide with the rising international interest in cancer immunotherapy. Thus, if we can definitively prove that cryoablation has the dual effect of killing breast cancer while also enhancing the anti-cancer immune response (with or without the assistance of drug or other treatments), cryoablation could one-day provide each of the following:
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1) an effective alternative to surgery for selected patients with early stage breast cancer;
2) an initial treatment administered prior to chemotherapy or prior to anti-estrogen therapy for later stage cancers whether or not surgery is planned; or
3) an alternative to surgery for someone with stage IV (distantly metastatic) disease, combined with drug therapy.
My ultimate goal is to bring together cryoablation stakeholders (basic scientists, medical oncologist, surgeons, radiologists, pharma, and patient advocates) to understand and harness the potential of cryoablation through multi-center trials and other collaborations.
This cryoablation website is the first step in that effort!