A case study about a friend of mine
During the summer of 2022 I learned my friend Les had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Eagle-eyed readers of this website may remember I wrote an article titled “A Friend Phones With Bad News” where we left Les considering either brachytherapy or cryotherapy to treat his condition.
To refresh your memory, his prostate cancer was discovered relatively early. He had been on active surveillance, so when the bad news came, the cancer had not spread outside the prostate. His PSA stood at 5, and his combined Gleason was 7.
To cut to the chase, Les decided to go with focal cryotherapy, so a brief look at this not-so-well-known treatment seems in order.
What is cryotherapy?
There are two types of cryotherapy: whole prostate and focal. As the names suggest, the former targets the whole prostate and the latter just the cancerous area. Both take place under general anesthesia. Cryotherapy is generally offered if the cancer has not spread outside the prostate. This treatment tends to be less invasive than others, such as surgery
The Unwelcome Guest 