Yavapai Regional Medical Center is among the first hospitals in Arizona to introduce IceCure, a procedure to remove benign (non-cancerous) breast tumors without surgery.

“Breast fibroadenomas, as they are called, are not life-threatening, but they can be physically disfiguring, uncomfortable and cause women emotional distress,” said Nancy K. Ledoyen, RN, Director, the BreastCare Center at YRMC. “IceCure allows our breast surgeons to treat those benign tumors with minimal scarring.”

Benign breast tumors up to four centimeters – about the size of a grape – are best for IceCure, but larger tumors may also be removed using the procedure.

“IceCure has many advantages over traditional surgical excision for women with benign breast tumors,” Ledoyen said. “Some of the pluses include a minute incision, local anesthesia, and virtually no down time following the procedure.”