Cryoablation for Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Efficacy and Quality of Life Assessment

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women. There has been growing interest in less invasive techniques for the treatment of breast lesions, with cryoablation emerging as promising option. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of cryoablation for the treatment of breast cancer tumor subtypes 12 months post-treatment. Methods: This single-center prospective study included patients with biopsy-proven BC who underwent ultrasound-guided-cryoablation treatment during 2021-2023. Locoregional staging was performed using ultrasound and contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM). Follow-up included ultrasound at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-months with additional CEM and biopsy at 12-months. Rate of complete ablation, tumor size and quality of life (QoL) were assessed. Primary endpoint was absence of residual tumor for BC at 12-month post cryoablation. Results: Thirthy-six female patients (mean age, 84.5±6.7 years) with 39 biopsy-proven tumors (mean size 15.3±7.5 mm) underwent cryoablation. No device-related unexpected adverse events were reported. The 39 BCs were early-stage luminal A or B, invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) or IDC + ductal carcinoma in situ. Complete ablation rates for BC ≤ 15 mm and BC >15 mm were 100% and 84.6%, respectively; Cryoablation positively impacted patient QoL as assessed by validated questionnaires. Conclusions: With improved QoL, cryoablation emerges as a promising, safe, and effective treatment option for low-risk breast cancer. Disclaimer/Publisher's Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.