# Challenging the Skin Barrier: Intermediate-Term Success of Cryoablation for Superficial Invasive Mucinous Breast Cancer

## TL;DR

Cryoablation successfully treated a breast cancer near the skin in a high-risk elderly patient, avoiding surgery and showing long-term results.

## Contribution

Demonstrates cryoablation's effectiveness for superficial invasive mucinous breast cancer in high-risk patients.

## Key findings

- Cryoablation safely treated a tumor near the skin with no complications.
- Three-year follow-up showed lesion reduction to a scar-like region with no recurrence.
- Procedure was well-tolerated and avoided major surgery in a high-risk patient.

## Abstract

We present a case of an 88-year-old woman with significant comorbidities, diagnosed with a 2.2 cm invasive mucinous breast carcinoma located directly beneath the skin without an intervening fat plane. Given her high surgical risk, the patient underwent percutaneous cryoablation instead of wide excision surgery. Real-time ultrasound-guided hydrodissection was used to create a protective plane between the tumor and dermis, displacing the lesion 10 mm away from the skin. Controlled freeze-thaw cycles were performed using a 13G IceCure probe, ensuring complete ablation while minimizing skin injury. The procedure was well tolerated with no complications. Serial follow-up imaging for three years demonstrated a progressive reduction in lesion size, evolving into a subcentimeter scar-like region. The patient remained asymptomatic with no recurrence. This case underscores cryoablation as a viable, minimally invasive alternative to surgery, even for patients with challenging tumor locations, advocating for broader adoption in selected elderly or high-risk patients.