She walked in with a diagnosis that had no clear surgical solution. She walked out the same day—treated, safe, and home. This is what personalised cancer care looks like.
At 78 years old, she had been diagnosed with early breast cancer, but multiple comorbidities and a high anaesthesia risk made the standard surgical pathway unsafe. We chose to rethink treatment specifically for her reality.
What is cryoablation—and why did we offer it?
Cryoablation is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure in which a tumour is destroyed using extreme cold rather than surgical removal. Under real-time ultrasound guidance, a fine probe is placed directly into the lesion. Controlled freeze-thaw cycles reach temperatures between -40°C and -60°C, destroying tumour cells while leaving healthy tissue intact.
What the procedure involves
- Performed under local anaesthesia only—no general anaesthesia required.
- No hospital admission; it is a day procedure from start to finish.
- Minimal discomfort and excellent cosmetic outcomes with no surgical scar.
- Patient goes home the same day.
Who is cryoablation most suited for?
While surgery remains the gold standard for most, cryoablation is a sound alternative for:
- Elderly patients for whom general anaesthesia poses significant risk.
- Those with significant comorbidities like heart disease, diabetes, or respiratory conditions.
- Select cases of small, well-defined, early-stage tumours.
An emerging frontier: the immune response
When tumour cells are destroyed in situ, they release cellular material that may trigger a systemic anti-tumour immune response known as the abscopal effect. This suggests that destroying a tumour with cold may teach the immune system to fight cancer cells elsewhere in the body.
A milestone in North India
This patient was the first in North India to undergo breast cryoablation at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. For our team, it represented a second chance for a patient who had run out of conventional options.