Urology Centers of Alabama’s Dr. Lee Hammontree has many years of experience with cryosurgery (using extreme freezing to destroy cancer) for both kidney cancer and prostate cancer. He has performed more cryosurgery procedures for kidney cancer than any other surgeon on the Southeast. Dr. Hammontree uses laparoscopic surgery along with an ultrasound to guide the probe and monitor the freezing process. A ball of ice forms around the probe, freezing the kidney tumor with a surrounding margin. Dr. Hammontree has presented results of over 274 patients treated since 2006 with laparoscopic cryoablation for kidney cancer at the 2015 Southeastern Section of the AUA. Results included a 1.9% local recurrence rate. This technique is best for tumors less than 4cm in size.
We have also used cryosurgery to treat prostate cancer with good results since 2006. Treatment involves outpatient surgery involving placement of 6 small needle cryoprobes and 5 needle temperature sensors through the skin of the perineum into the prostate and surrounding tissue to perform 2 freezing and thaw cycles with ultrasound monitoring. This technique can also be used for “focal treatment” for limited prostate cancer in patient’s wishing to maintain some degree of prostate and erectile function and to minimize side effects. Salvage cryoablation of the prostate is used for treatment of prostate cancers which recur following previous radiation therapy. Dr. Hammontree has extensive experience with these techniques.