American scientists have announced research findings at a scientific conference in Florida which suggest it may be possible to successfully freeze breast tumours as an alternative to patients undergoing surgery.
This cryotherapy technique could open the door for a potential new treatment for breast cancer and needs to be further tested say the researchers. It is important to note however that this was an extremely small study of 13 breast cancer patients.
Dr Caitlin Palframan, from Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: “Cryotherapy is an experimental technique which is being looked at as a potential alternative to surgery for treating breast cancer. However, we are a long way away from knowing whether cryotherapy has potential as a treatment option. Where appropriate, surgery remains a gold standard treatment and surgical techniques continue to improve all the time.”
