RAWALPINDI: A cryoablation machine for advanced cancer treatment has reached Holy Family Hospital (HFH), paving the way for the introduction of a minimally invasive treatment facility for eligible cancer patients in Rawalpindi.
According to hospital sources, the machine is expected to be made functional in the last week of September. A team of doctors and other staff associated with the treatment has also undergone specialised training in Lahore to operate the equipment.
The facility will initially be used for the treatment of selected patients suffering from cancers of the breast, lungs and liver. Patients with early-stage tumours, particularly Stage-I and Stage-II cancers, may be considered for the procedure after assessment by specialists.
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The machine will be installed near the hospital’s main operation theatre. Patients seeking treatment will first be registered through the outpatient department (OPD), where doctors will assess their condition and determine whether cryoablation is suitable. Eligible patients will then be given a treatment schedule.
How cryoablation works
Cryoablation is an image-guided, minimally invasive procedure that destroys cancerous tissue using extremely low temperatures instead of removing the tumour through conventional surgery.
During the procedure, doctors use imaging guidance to insert thin probes into or around the tumour. The probes create an intensely cold area, forming an “ice ball” around the targeted tissue. The extreme cold freezes and damages the cancer cells while doctors monitor the treatment area through imaging.
The procedure can be particularly useful for selected tumours in organs such as the liver, lungs, kidneys and breast. Because it does not require a large surgical incision, patients may experience less pain and a shorter recovery period compared with conventional surgery.
At Mayo Hospital Lahore, where Punjab introduced the technology in the public sector, the treatment has been used for early-stage cancers. More than 70 Stage-I cancer patients have reportedly received free treatment there since the facility became operational.
The technology was introduced in Punjab after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz observed the treatment method during her visit to China. The Punjab government subsequently brought the technology to Mayo Hospital and began expanding it to other public-sector hospitals. The provincial government says the treatment is being provided free of cost to eligible patients at government facilities.
At Mayo Hospital, doctors have explained that the system uses liquid nitrogen to freeze targeted cancerous tissue to extremely low temperatures and then heats the treated area as part of the ablation process. The treatment generally takes about 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the tumour and the patient, and patients can often become mobile within hours.
The Punjab government is now expanding the technology beyond Lahore. Five additional cryoablation machines have been purchased and dispatched for installation, with two planned for the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore and one each for Nishtar Hospital Multan, Allied Hospital Faisalabad and Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi.
The expansion is aimed at reducing the need for patients from other parts of Punjab to travel to Lahore for specialised cancer treatment and increasing access to modern, minimally invasive cancer care in public hospitals.
Doctors, however, will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis. Cryoablation is not suitable for every cancer patient, and treatment depends on factors including the type, size, location and stage of the tumour.
