Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Partial salvage cryoablation of the prostate for recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy failure
Michael L Eisenberg1, Katsuto Shinohara
1Department of Urology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-1695, USA. eisenbergm@urology.ucsf.edu
Objectives:
To determine the efficacy of partial cryoablation of the prostate in the salvage setting.
Methods:
All patients who were treated between April 2004 and September 2007 for recurrent prostate adenocarcinoma after failure of primary radiotherapy by means of partial cryoablation were identified.
Results:
Nineteen patients met inclusion criteria; 15 had >6 months' follow-up. Mean age was 71 years. Men received salvage therapy a mean of 6 years after primary radiotherapy. Median follow-up was 18 months (range, 6-33 months). The biochemical recurrence-free survival rate (according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition) was 89%, 67%, and 50% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. One of 10 patients harbored residual carcinoma on routine follow-up biopsy at 1 year, whereas 50% harbored residual benign prostate tissue. Complications included incontinence (1), urethral stricture (1), and urethral ulcer (1).
Conclusions:
In properly selected patients with a unilateral focus of disease recurrence after radiotherapy, acceptable oncologic results can be achieved with partial cryoablation of the prostate, with low morbidity.
