Minimally Invasive Techniques to Help You Feel Your Best

Ablation surgery is a minimally invasive surgical approach used to destroy tumors by “burning” or “freezing” them. This approach may be used if your tumor is no larger than 3 centimeters (a little smaller than the size of a ping-pong ball) or if surgery is not a good option for you. Ablation (meaning to destroy) is performed by inserting a needle or thin probe into the tumor through the skin. The needle or probe is guided by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging.

Types of Ablation:

1. Radiofrequency ablation procedures use high-frequency radio waves to heat and destroy cancer cells.
2. Cryosurgery ablation treatment eliminates tumors by freezing them with cold gases.

Keck Medicine of USC Kidney Cancer Patient Receives World’s First HIFU Surgery

What is Ablation Surgery Used For?

Ablation is a common treatment for lung cancer as well as liver and kidney (renal) cancers. Other cancers can also be treated using ablation surgery, provided they are accessible and of an appropriate size.  

For patients with lung cancer, lung ablation is performed by a highly skilled radiologist who uses a CT-guided probe – either a cryoprobe to freeze or a microwave probe to burn cells – to precisely target and destroy lung cancer tumors and cells, with minimal impact to the surrounding healthy lung tissue. Ablation is an effective lung cancer treatment option for smaller lung cancer lesions, and due to its lung-preserving qualities, it can also be leveraged to treat and destroy multiple lung cancer tumors and lesions at different times over the course of a comprehensive lung cancer treatment plan. 

For patients with intra-abdominal tumors, expert urologic surgeons perform ablation using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The HIFU ablation system enables surgeons to penetrate the abdominal cavity with keyhole cuts to eliminate tumors 4 centimeters or less.