We break the tumor open through a needle, with electrical pulses or freezing, and inject immunotherapy into that spot, so your immune system can learn what to hunt. For breast cancer that is early, or that the drugs no longer touch.
Complete a short, three-step form to begin your admissions process. One of our patient consultants will contact you to explain the process and guide you through the next steps.
Most breast cancer care reaches the tumor from outside: surgery removes it, drugs travel through your body. We go in directly. Under ultrasound guidance, a WCI physician places a thin needle into the tumor and breaks its cells open with electrical pulses or freezing, releasing the tumor's own antigens: the markers the immune system uses to recognize cancer. In the same session, immune drugs go into that exact spot. It works alongside your current treatment, not in place of it.
The immune drugs placed in the tumor teach the immune system to recognize this cancer, the way a vaccine does. You teach the immune system in one spot, and it goes after the same cancer in the rest of the body.
The treated tumor is the source of the vaccine, and it keeps supplying it. It is not one exposure and done. Every round of tumor cells the immune system destroys exposes new antigens, and those restart the cycle, so the response keeps spreading: broader, throughout the body, and with memory. It turns a “cold” tumor, one the immune system ignores, “hot”.
Card 06 leads back to card 02. Doctors call the widening response epitope spreading.
It takes about an hour, under ultrasound guidance, and most people go home the same day, about two hours later. Freezing a breast tumor through a needle is established enough that, on its own, it is now authorized in the United States for a defined group of older patients with small, low-risk tumors.
Many breast tumors are quiet to the immune system. Even triple-negative tumors often slip past checkpoint drugs given on their own. Breaking the tumor open releases its antigens, so the immune system finally has something to see. The drugs we inject into that spot are chosen to wake it up: some release its brakes, others press the accelerator.
Pulsed electric fields are used in most cases; freezing (cryoablation) in some, as in the case below. Either way, immune drugs go into the treated spot in the same session.
Once the immune system has been alerted at one tumor and kept re-primed by the cycle above, it goes after the same cancer elsewhere in the body, and it remembers it. Doctors call this an abscopal effect.
Standard care. Surgery, radiation and systemic therapy, chosen by stage and receptor status. Cryoablation on its own is authorized in the United States for one defined group: in October 2025 the FDA granted marketing authorization to IceCure's ProSense system for early-stage, low-risk breast cancer in women aged 70 or older with ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative tumors of 1.5 cm or smaller, used with adjuvant endocrine therapy. That authorization covers cryoablation alone. In triple-negative disease, intravenous (IV) checkpoint blockade gives systemic drug exposure.
Ablation alone. Local treatment of the tumor; any immune effect of ablation alone is not established in patients.
This approach. Image-guided ablation of the breast tumor, by pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation in most cases and cryoablation in some, combined in the same session with a multi-agent intratumoral immunotherapy injected into the ablation bed. It is used across stages and receptor types, under physician review. In our clinical observations, a systemic immune response occurs beyond the treated tumor.
Rationale. Hormone-receptor-positive tumors are usually immune-quiet; triple-negative tumors often do not respond to checkpoint drugs given alone. WCI's rationale is that ablation exposes the tumor's antigens and that the injected agents drive an immune response to them at the site. This is what we see in our clinical observations.
Guidance. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous access to the breast tumor.
Ablation. PEF delivers electrical pulses through the single needle, without heat; where cryoablation is used, cryoprobes form an ice ball around the tumor. Lethal cell kill occurs in the inner zone, where tissue falls below −40 °C. More than one freeze–thaw cycle is used to maximize cell death and antigen release. Dying cells release damage-associated molecular patterns (ATP, HMGB1, calreticulin) and intact protein antigens.
Intratumoral immunotherapy. A multi-agent combination is injected into the ablation bed, through the same needle after PEF or through a second needle after cryoablation. The combination is chosen from the tumor's biology (ER, PR, HER2 including HER2-low, Ki-67, BRCA, PD-L1, TROP-2) and from prior treatment.
Setting and time. About an hour for the procedure under conscious sedation, and about two hours of recovery. Most procedures are outpatient under conscious sedation; general anesthesia or an overnight stay is rarely required.
Follow-up. Imaging at 6 to 8 weeks (PET/CT, MRI or ultrasound as appropriate). Repeat procedures as indicated; the number of treatments is decided with the patient's physician. The patient's home oncology team is kept informed throughout.
Agents. The injected immunotherapy is a multi-agent combination. The agents and doses are set per patient by the treating physician.
The immune conversion cycle, in clinical terms. Ablation disrupts the tumor and exposes its full antigen repertoire, not a pre-selected subset. The injected immunotherapy then remodels the tumor microenvironment, priming, recruiting and activating immune cells and releasing the brakes on them. Immune-mediated lysis exposes further antigens, which re-prime the response (epitope spreading), producing a broader, polyclonal, systemic response with memory, converting a cold tumor hot. This is WCI’s stated rationale, in Dr. Goodyear’s framing, borne out in our clinical observations.
Evidence, and its limits. In mice with colorectal tumors and no ablation, anti-CTLA-4 injected into a tumor reached about 14 times the day-7 level of IV dosing in that tumor; the untreated tumor received no more than with IV dosing, and half the dose reached the blood within an hour [1]. That is mouse data in a colorectal model; it does not test ablation or show a distant-site effect. In a 2024 mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer, cryoablation of the primary tumor altered the immune microenvironment at distant sites [2]. Image-guided breast cryoablation as a technique dates to a 2004 multi-institutional pilot [3]. There is no randomized trial of cryoablation combined with intratumoral immunotherapy in breast cancer. The case under 'What the records show' is a case record, not a series with a denominator.
Four patients' courses from our records, with the scans exactly as recorded. Not every patient will have the same result.
Left breast cancer with subsequent axillary nodal recurrence.
Partial response, after re-treatment of a node recurrence
The tumor shrank. It came back in a node, and was treated again.
A woman newly diagnosed with left breast cancer, a 3.6 cm tumor. A needle froze the tumor and immunotherapy was injected into it. At month 11 new active lymph nodes appeared under the arm, with a new small spot in the breast, and a second session treated the node. By month 16 the breast tumor was smaller (3.6 × 2.5 cm to 2.4 × 1.2 cm), its activity on the scan was down by about two-thirds, and there was no sign of active spread.
It came back in the lymph nodes. She was treated again.
At month 16 the breast tumor had shrunk from 3.6 × 2.5 cm to 2.4 × 1.2 cm, its activity was down from 8.3 to 2.6, and there was no sign of active spread. New small spots in the right lower lung were read as more likely infection or inflammation than cancer. This is a partial response, reached after documented progression and re-treatment.
Following re-treatment of the axillary node, PET/CT in Month 16 showed marked reduction in left breast tumour size and metabolic activity with no evidence of metastatic disease. Note that this course included documented interval progression in Month 11 between the two treatment sessions.
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Invasive lobular carcinoma, Grade 2, left breast with axillary metastasis
Lobular breast cancer with lymph-node spread: a substantial early fall in activity, with the long-term outcome not yet established.
This patient had grade 2 invasive lobular carcinoma of the left breast, hormone-receptor positive and HER2 positive, that had already spread to a lymph node under the arm. Our team treated the breast tumor in a single session of cryoablation, with immunotherapy injected into the tumor bed.
A strong early drop. Then scans with no written report.
A woman with grade 2 invasive lobular carcinoma of the left breast that had already spread to a lymph node under the arm. The tumor was hormone-receptor positive and HER2 positive, measuring 3.5 to 3.7 cm on ultrasound.
She had a single session of ultrasound-guided cryoablation of the breast tumor, with immunotherapy injected into the tumor bed.
At five and a half months, FDG metabolic activity in the left breast had decreased substantially. The radiologist favoured post-treatment inflammation but could not rule out a small amount of remaining disease. Four later PET/CT images were obtained, out to about two and a half years, and appear in the record without a written radiology report, so no outcome is stated for that period.
One patient's record, assessed retrospectively, with no comparison group. It cannot show this treatment works better than any alternative, and some patients with the same diagnosis do not benefit.
Invasive lobular carcinoma of the central left breast
Lobular breast cancer held stable, with activity falling below background and no new spread at 13 months.
This patient had invasive lobular carcinoma in the central left breast: a 2.3 cm mass with only mild activity and no spread at staging. Our team treated the tumor in a single session of cryoablation, with immunotherapy injected into the tumor bed.
Not gone. Quieter, and not spreading.
A woman with invasive lobular carcinoma in the central left breast, 1.4 cm on biopsy. Staging showed a 2.3 cm mass with only mild activity and no spread.
She had a single session of ultrasound-guided cryoablation of the breast tumor, with immunotherapy injected into the tumor bed.
At about eight and a half months the breast activity was essentially unchanged, with no new disease. By month 13 the mass had fallen below the background activity of the blood, with no new spread. Low-level metabolically active spots in one rib and one vertebra remained stable, with resolution of significant metabolic activity. This is stable disease with decreasing FDG activity, not a complete response.
One patient's record, assessed retrospectively, with no comparison group. It cannot show this treatment works better than any alternative, and some patients with the same diagnosis do not benefit.
Right breast invasive ductal carcinoma, Grade III, ER+/PR+/HER2-
Aggressive breast cancer in which MRI and biopsy disagree after treatment; the response is not yet determined.
This patient had grade III invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast, hormone-receptor positive and HER2 negative, which grew to at least 6.3 cm with new satellite lesions before treatment. Over four months, our team performed three sessions of ultrasound-guided pulsed electric field ablation, injecting immunotherapy into the tumor each time.
The MRI and the biopsy disagree.
A woman with grade III invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast, hormone-receptor positive and HER2 negative. In the months before treatment the mass grew to at least 4.5 × 3.5 × 6.3 cm, with new satellite lesions around it.
Over four months she had three sessions of ultrasound-guided pulsed electric field ablation, five cycles in total, with immunotherapy injected into the tumor each time.
At month 10, an MRI was read as persistent viable tumor, slightly larger than before, and surgery was recommended. At month 12 a core needle biopsy found atypical cells and chronic inflammation, and no cancer. The record does not reconcile the two. Sampling error, post-ablation response change and a true response all fit, so no response category is asserted.
One patient's record, assessed retrospectively, with no comparison group. It cannot show this treatment works better than any alternative, and some patients with the same diagnosis do not benefit.
Where your cancer is decides where we fit. Find the card closest to what you have been told. If you are unsure, send your records: a physician decides case by case, from your actual records.
Usually a tumor a needle can reach safely, plus one of these:
Each case is individually evaluated by the Williams Cancer Institute team.
After completing our admissions form, one of our Patient Consultants will contact you to explain the process and guide you through the next steps. Our admissions process is free of charge, including the review of your medical information and, if our medical team determines that you are a candidate, a video consultation. Treatments are generally not covered by health insurance, and WCI does not bill insurance companies.
One of our Patient Consultants will contact you to explain the admissions process, answer your general questions, and guide you through the next steps.
Your Patient Consultant will guide you on the required medical records and imaging studies, as well as how to submit them so our medical team can evaluate your case.
Once the necessary information has been received, our medical team will review your case to determine whether you may be a candidate for our treatments. If necessary, the medical team may request additional studies or information before making a decision.
If our medical team determines that you are a candidate, we will coordinate a complimentary Zoom consultation with one of our physicians. During this consultation, you will be able to discuss your case, address your medical questions, and learn about the treatment approach indicated for you.
Following your medical consultation, you will receive a personalized treatment plan that includes the corresponding costs. If you decide to proceed, the next steps will be coordinated to schedule your treatment.
Most treatments take place in Los Cabos, Mexico; in some cases our medical team may schedule a procedure in Mexico City. Rebyota is given only at our Beverly Hills, California location.
Your physician confirms the details for your case.
As with any needle procedure, there can be bruising or bleeding at the site. Your physician goes through the risks for your case before anything is decided.
Dr. Jason Williams is a board-certified radiologist who has spent his career putting needles into tumors under imaging. His first patent, in 2003, covered ablation combined with immunotherapy injected into the tumor. A physician since 2000, he opened his first ablation center in 2004 and completed his residency in 2007. He also co-founded Syncromune, whose separate investigational drug SV-102 holds FDA Fast Track status. His tumor board reviews every case.
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Most of our treatments are performed in Los Cabos, Mexico, in a private hospital setting.
Other treatment locations. In some cases our medical team may schedule a procedure in Mexico City. Rebyota is given only at our Beverly Hills, California location.
Accounts Williams Cancer Institute publishes, shared with each patient's permission. They span different cancers. Individual results vary and are not guaranteed.
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Read the full account →Complete our admissions form to get started. One of our Patient Consultants will contact you to explain the process and guide you through the next steps, including the medical information and imaging studies required for our medical team to evaluate your case.
