What Is It?
Cryosurgery, also known as cryotherapy, is the process of using extremely cold temperatures produced by liquid nitrogen or argon gas to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. This process causes ice crystals to form inside the tissue, tearing the abnormal tissue ("What Is Cryosurgery").
Two Different Procedures:
Cryosurgery is very effective and the recovery time is minimal if treated on the external skin. Some examples of this are removing patches of skin cancers, warts, and moles. It can also be used to treat internal disorders such as prostate cancer, cervical disorders, liver cancers and hemorrhoids. Treatments on the colon, the kidney, and the breast for breast cancer have not yet been performed. The process for this is performed through a hollow tube called a cryoprobe; it circulates the nitrogen or argon in the problem area. Ice crystals form, freezing the neighboring cells, causing the body to naturally absorb it after the tissue thaws ("What Is Cryosurgery").
Pros vs. Cons:
This cryosurgery allows surgeons to focus on a certain problem, rather than go through more invasive procedures. However, this process has many side effects depending on where the tumor is located. Common problems are the cervix for women where they can experience pain, bleeding, or cramps, and skin cancer where people will experience swelling, scarring, or burning ("What Is Cryosurgery").
