Topic: Cryoablation

Chung-Hsin Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Urology at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, discusses prostate cryoablation in Taiwanese patients. Chen addresses considerations for patient selection regarding prostate cryoablation, including indications as well as absolute and relative contraindications. Following this, he describes the mechanisms of cryoablation and proactive rectal warming probes, giving examples of what treatment plans might look like. Finally, he examines the effects of cryoablation as indicated by several studies, focusing on three main points: the oncological outcomes of Taiwanese patients are similar to the cryo online data (COLD) registry, the oncological outcomes of cryoablation is similar to radical prostatectomy in his group’s research, and most post-cryoablation complications were preventable or reducible.