In general they have had poor out-comes with traditional treatments. The third group were patients who had already failed radiation therapy prior to having cryosurgery. Although cryosurgery seems to offer promise in the treatment of prostate cancer it is not without risk. We conducted an outcome study utilizing a survey form which was mailed directly to the patients. These were filled out annonymously.
Impotence is a major complication with all forms of treatment for prostate cancer.
Another serious complication after cryosurgery is rectal fistula formation. These complications were seen most frequently in patients who had already been radiated prior to cryosurgery. The complication rate was highest in first 50 patients. This is likely due to the learning curve associated with this complex procedure. Cryosurgery appears to be more effective than current standard treatment options.