Cryotherapy Health Article

Definition

Cryotherapy is a technique that uses an extremely cold liquid or instruments to freeze and destroy abnormal or cancerous skin cells that require removal. The technique has been in use since the turn of the century, but modern techniques have made it widely available to dermatologists and primary care doctors. Recent advances have also lead to more use of cryotherapy in treating internal cancer. The technique is also called cryosurgery.

Purpose

Cryotherapy can be employed to destroy a variety of benign skin growths, such as warts, precancerous lesions (such as actinic keratoses), and malignant lesions (such as basal cell and squamous cell cancers). It has also found new use in treating internal cancers, such as cancers of the prostate gland and the breast. The goal of cryotherapy is to freeze and destroy targeted skin growths or cancers while preserving the surrounding tissue from injury.

Precautions

Cryotherapy is not recommended for certain areas of the body because of the danger of destruction of normal tissue or unacceptable scarring. These areas include: skin that overlies nerves, the corners of the eyes, the fold of skin between the nose and lip, the skin surrounding the nostrils, and the border between the lips and the rest of the face. Lesions that are suspected or known to be malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, should not be treated with cryotherapy, but should instead be removed surgically. Similarly, basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers that have reappeared at the site of a previously treated tumor should also be removed surgically.

If it remains unclear whether a growth is benign or malignant, a sample of tissue should be removed for analysis (biopsy) by a pathologist before any attempts to destroy the lesion with cryotherapy. Care should be taken in people with diabetes or certain circulation problems when cryotherapy is considered for growths located on their lower legs, ankles, and feet. In these patients, healing can be poor and the risk of infection can be high.