The Hospital of the Sisters of Mercy in Zagreb was the first in Croatia to freeze a malignant breast tumour. This represents an important innovation in the field of minimally invasive procedures for oncological patients.

Cryoablation, i.e. the freezing of tumours, has already been used in this hospital for two years. So far, this procedure has been used to treat kidney, lung and bone cancer, and from now on it will also be used for breast cancer, the hospital announced on Wednesday.

“Cryoablation is a technique in which only harmful tissue and tumours are frozen and destroyed in a targeted manner without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue,” explained Luka Novosel, Head of the Department of Interventional Radiology.

The procedure consists of the precise guidance of needle probes through the skin, which are placed in the tumour using an ultrasound device, followed by the creation of an ice zone with a diameter of up to three centimetres, which destroys the tumour cells.

“This procedure spares the remaining part of the patient’s breast, given that no metastases were found,” said Novosel.

The procedure is suitable for patients who are not suitable for a classic breast resection due to their age and concomitant illnesses or because of the anaesthetic risk, as well as for tumours with a diameter of up to two centimetres or smaller metastases.

An additional advantage of cryoablation of breast tumours is that it is performed on an outpatient basis, is painless and takes one hour, after which the patient can go home, emphasised the hospital’s director, Davor Vagic.