Cryotherapy for Malignant Tumors: Immunologic Response

SINCE Cooper's classic report on cryothalamectomy,1extreme cold has proven to be effective in destroying malignant tissue with relative safety to surrounding normal tissue. Cryogenic surgery has been developed to the capability of delivering effectively destructive low temperature to almost any portion of the body under sterile conditions.2-18This technique has proven practical in providing hemostasis, predictable tissue destruction and adequate control of lesion size. We have obtained good results after cryotherapy for primary and metastatic tumors of the breast, skin, colon, prostate, and pharynx. The effectiveness of tumor destruction is primarily dependent on the type of tumor treated, as well as the rate and the duration of freezing. We have observed changes in circulating antibodies directed toward subcellular components of the destroyed tumor tissue. The antiglobulin consumption test has proven reliable in detecting these circulating tumor antibodies in the sera of patients with in vivo frozen