Removing a rare desmoid tumour using minimally invasive cryoablation

Jesica woke up one morning and got out of bed only to need to sit right back down. She had what she describes as an intense pain that felt like “a million pins and needles” in her right leg. At the same time, she discovered a large lump in her back. Instantly, she knew something was not right and felt worried and scared.

Jesica did not yet know that she had a desmoid tumour, a benign (non-cancerous) tumour. The tumour is not considered cancerous because the cells do not travel to parts of the body like cancer can, but they can be very aggressive invading into nearby structures and organs[1].While some are entirely painless, others can cause sever acute or chronic pain[2].

It took Jesica seven months to get diagnosed with a desmoid tumour – they are rare, making up to less than 3% of all soft-tissue tumours[3], and are more common in females than males, in people between the ages of 15-60.  

Diagnosis was only the start of Jesica’s journey. Desmoid tumours have proven challenging to treat, because of their high reoccurrence rate[4]. Jesica’s first treatment was surgery to remove the tumour, but three months later she had a first reoccurrence. Her second treatment was radiotherapy, but nine months later she had her second reoccurrence.

By chance, some friends who were doctors spoke to her about cryoablation, a minimally invasive treatment that uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy diseased tissue including cancer cells. After the cryoablation, Jesica says the relief was instant.

Building on Boston Scientific’s commitment to Interventional Oncology, we have expanded our portfolio of minimally invasive therapies with the leading technology in cryoablation. To learn more about cryoablation visit: Soft Tissue Tumour | Indications | Ablation Solutions - Boston Scientific. 

For Jesica, the procedure helped relieve her pain, and she says it was the best decision she made in her life.