Putting the Freeze on Breast Cancer

In the future, some low-risk breast tumors may be removed through cryoablation, thanks to a donor-funded study led by Julie Margenthaler, MD, FACS, director of Breast Surgical Services at Siteman Cancer Center and the inaugural Endowed Chair for Surgical Excellence in Breast Cancer through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. 

Dr. Margenthaler is partnering on the study with Heather Garrett, MD, a WashU Medicine radiologist who specializes in breast imaging at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, to determine if cryoablation could be an alternative to lumpectomy for certain types of breast cancers.

Cryoablation destroys cancer cells by exposing them to subfreezing temperatures through a noninvasive, ultrasound-guided procedure. 

“I recruit the patients, and Dr. Garrett does the procedure,” Dr. Margenthaler says. “That collaboration is really important. It takes the right environment to be able to do that, and that’s what is probably the most unique thing about being at WashU Medicine, Siteman, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. We wouldn’t be able to do the cryoablation trial in a lot of places, but it’s possible here because I can collaborate with Dr. Garrett, who is an incredibly skilled radiologist in these interventions.”

Dr. Margenthaler is optimistic about the future of cryoablation. “If you can achieve the same outcome with a bedside procedure, that’s going to be preferable over surgery for most patients with an early breast cancer.”

The procedure offers multiple benefits, including faster recovery and less pain. It may even trigger the body’s own cancer-fighting defenses. “There’s a lot of good science behind cryoablation that shows ablating the tumor like this creates a local immune response that then may cause your own body to fight cancer cells—it’s not just about removing the tumor,” Dr. Margenthaler says.

A pilot study showed early success for cryoablation, and a new clinical trial is preparing to launch.