Cryosurgical Ablation (also known as Cryosurgery or Cryo-ablation) is one of the most promising ablation treatments used clinically. It works by inducing extremely low temperatures to destroy tumor tissues. Once the probe’s tip temperature drops below –40°C, ice crystals begin forming inside the tissue, leading to tumor cell death through necrosis.

The process disrupts microcirculation and destroys vascular structures, leading to obliteration of the tumor’s blood supply. The immune system may also respond by attacking residual tumor cells — a phenomenon known as the “cryo-immunological response.”

Depending on lesion size and location, cryotherapy may be performed through open surgery or minimally invasive percutaneous techniques. During the procedure, Argon and Helium gases are used for freezing and thawing cycles that destroy tumor tissues efficiently.

Advantages: Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive treatment that can be repeated multiple times if needed. It can be used alone or alongside surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. It also reduces bleeding, postoperative pain, and recovery time — all while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

Furthermore, cryosurgery may trigger an immune response that helps fight any residual or metastatic cancer cells, reducing the risk of recurrence compared to surgery alone.

Cryosurgery can help treat:

• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer (non-small cell)
• Kidney cancer
• Ovarian and Pharyngeal cancer
• Testicular and Uterine tumors
• Vaginal and Pancreatic cancer
• Breast cancer
• Bone lesions (sarcoma and other tumors)
• Prostate cancer
• Skin cancer and melanoma
• Head and neck cancer
• Tumors of soft tissues

Other conditions: Cryosurgery has shown effectiveness in treating retinoblastoma (eye cancer in children), early-stage skin cancers, actinic keratosis (precancerous skin patches), and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).