Cancer Cryoablation Treatments at Southeast Region Nuclear Medicine Center in Korea Exceed 100 Cases

The Southeast Region Nuclear Medicine Center announced on August 8 that since introducing cancer cryoablation in 2024, the center has completed over 100 related procedures, providing treatment to a total of 104 cancer patients.

Cryoablation is a minimally invasive tumor treatment method. During the procedure, doctors insert a thin treatment needle precisely into the tumor site under CT or ultrasound imaging guidance, freezing the lesion at ultra-low temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius or lower to cause cancer cell necrosis. As the low-temperature freezing itself has a certain anesthetic effect, this technique helps reduce patient pain, minimize damage to surrounding normal tissues, and promote faster postoperative recovery.

According to the center, among the patients treated so far, there are 58 cases of liver cancer and liver metastases, 17 cases of primary lung cancer, recurrent lung cancer, and lung metastases, and 29 cases of renal cancer. Among them, 8 patients underwent treatment for two lesions simultaneously in a single procedure.

Choi Hyun-wook, the center's chief manager, stated that although cryoablation needles are not yet covered by medical insurance, leaving patients with a certain financial burden, the application scope of cryoablation is expanding as its efficacy and safety are gradually verified. He expressed that the center will continue to provide more treatment opportunities for patients with difficult surgeries through multidisciplinary collaboration.

The Southeast Region Nuclear Medicine Center is currently the only medical institution in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region offering cancer cryoablation.