Cancer - Prostate Cancer

Side Effects of Cryosurgery
The possible side effects include frequent urination, burning, blood, pain with urination, penile or scrotal swelling, or impotence.

What are the disadvantages of cryosurgery?
The major disadvantage of cryosurgery is the uncertainty surrounding its long-term effectiveness. While cryosurgery may be effective in treating tumors made visible to the physician through imaging tests (tests that produce pictures of areas inside the body), it can miss microscopic cancer spread. Furthermore, because the effectiveness of the technique is still being assessed, insurance coverage issues may arise.
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Are there any side effects after cryosurgery?
First, the side effects seen after cryosurgery are generally very low unless patients have been previously radiated. The rates of incontinence in patients undergoing cryosurgery after definitive radiation (either seeds or external beam) are 60-70%, compared to <1% of patients undergoing cryosurgery who have not had any prior radiation. Currently, the risk of rectal damage and injury causing a hole in the rectum which urine leaks out of (i.e. rectourethral fistula) is 13% in patients who have been previously radiated, compared to 0% of those who have not been radiated. Impotence has persisted in 100% of patients undergoing cryosurgery who have been previously radiated, compared to 80-85% of patients who have not had prior radiation. Severe pelvic pain requiring prolonged courses of powerful analgesics has occurred in 25% of patients who have been previously radiated, compared to <1% of patients who have cryosurgery with no prior radiation. Tissue sloughing occurs in 25-50% of patients undergoing cryosurgery compared to 4-6% of patients who have not been previously radiated. The severity of the side effects in the previously radiated group is directly related to the extent of freezing and the total amount of ice which is generated during the procedure.
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