Chinese oncologist offers cryosurgical procedure for cancer treatment

A Chinese oncologist today outlined some new techniques for cancer treatment which are now available in some hospitals in the US and in China.

Mu Feng, Vice-President, Senior Oncologist and Cryosurgery expert, Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou, China, said cryosurgery is one such option for treatment of localised cancers.

He explained that cryosurgery is a relatively new technique and extremely useful in freezing and killing abnormal cells. Tried in the case of prostrate cancer initially, this technique has proved to be extremely successful in localised cancers.

The surgery involves infusion of extreme cold of about minus 160 degree Celsius at the affected site.  This freezes the affected area and destroys the abnormal cells. They then get fully dissolved, he said.

During his visit to Hyderabad, he interacted with mediapersons to highlight how cryosurgery has emerged as one of the new approaches for treatment but cannot be applied in treatment of brain tumours and blood cancer cases.

He said the traditional approach of treatment of cancers is based on surgical procedures when it is localised one and where it is possible to perform the surgery. In other cases, chemotherapy is performed and the other approach is radiation process. The latter are also painful, resulting in a number of side-effects on the patient.

Therefore, he said one could consider the cryosurgical ablation process and also seed knife therapy or a combination of both. In the case of the seed knife process, isotopes are induced in the affected area to attack the cancerous portion.

He said they have the facility to treat patients in their hospital in China where Indians can get themselves treated. However, he said, talks are at a preliminary stage with some of the Indian hospitals to offer similar procedures.

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