Facility offers new tumor procedure
MSU is one of two facilities in the state to perform a new breast tumor shrinking procedure. The procedure, called cryoablation, was approved about a year ago for the removal of benign tumors and is offered by the MSU Department of Surgery and Harper Hospital in Detroit.About 80 percent of all breast tumors are benign.To qualify for the procedure, patients need to have a biopsy to ensure that the tumor is benign and is no larger than 2 centimeters.Most tumors are surgically removed but cryoablation is cheaper, less painful and less damaging to skin tissue than the traditional method, department Chairwoman Carol Slomski said."People have been trying to figure out how to get rid of tumors without cutting them out for a long time," she said.