Each year, more than 1 million women in the United States undergo breast biopsies. In about 80 percent of these cases, the lumps are benign, or non-cancerous. But that benign lump still causes anxiety in many women. Now, one technique is making it easier for women to get rid of the lumps without surgery.
In most cases, benign breast tumors can be left alone. However though one can 99 percent sure that it is completely benign, but there is still that 1 percent to 2 percent chance that it can be malignant hence people don't want to take that risk.In the past, doctors had to perform invasive surgery to remove the lump. But now, they can freeze it with a procedure called cryoablation. Doctors insert a probe into the tumor. Argon gas is passed through the probe to form an ice ball, which destroys the tumor. The body eventually absorbs it. The procedure takes about 30 minutes to 45 minutes and can be performed a few weeks after a biopsy.
Specialists say its an office-based procedure and the patient does not require to go to the operating room. Besides being tolerated very well it does not have a surgical scar. Thus most women prefer this as a better option.
This technique is also used to freeze liver, prostate and kidney tumors, and researchers are now testing its feasibility on breast tumors that are cancerous.
