A US doctor in Connecticut has finally treated a 79-year-old woman with breast cancer without mastectomy, using the latest IceCure innovation. The session did not take more than 30 minutes during which the tumor was removed in a simple procedure involving minimal intervention.
This procedure involves inserting a metal part that can be compared to an endoscope in the breast to freeze the target tissue only, and without harming the sound tissues. The procedure leaves only a small scar that heals within days, Reuters reported on Monday.
The procedure requires an ultrasound only, an IceCure device and a local anesthesia. Therefore, it can be done in any clean room. The patient can return to normal life once the treatment is completed.
Elizabeth Sadka, IceCure's vice president of Clinic Regulatory & Quality, explained that criteria for the treatment include the stage, size and shape of the tumor - in breast cancer it must be in stage 1 or 2, a solid tumor that is not bigger than about 1.5 cm.
In October 2018, the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS) updated its guidelines to recommend that surgeons take part in clinical trials for treating malignant breast tumors. This followed the publication in May of IceCure's results of latest clinical trials on 146 patients in 18 leading US hospitals and clinics, with only one case of recurrence.
With these results, the New Jersey-based company says that its cryoablation technology seems to be at least as good as the current standard of care and even better.
IceCure's treatment costs around $4,000 which is about a third of the cost of an average mastectomy surgery, so it allows a significant cut in costs in addition to the benefits to patients.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
