Abstract:
Cryoablation is a minimally invasive cancer treatment with the advantages of precise local anti-tumor effects, few side effects, and high safety. It can stimulate humoral and cellular immunity and induce the disappearance of distant lesions, known as the abscopal effect. Thus, it exerts both local and systemic therapeutic effects. However, the immune system may be stimulated, rendered unresponsive, or suppressed with cryoablation based on the cancer type, necrosis/apoptosis ratio, freezing range, cryoablation rate, and cryoablation dose. By increasing the necrosis/apoptosis ratio, combining with cellular adoptive therapy, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or Toll-like receptor agonist, the systemic immune effects of cryoablation could be enhanced. Methods of utilizing and enhancing the abscopal effect of cryoablation are the key to the treatment of tumors, particularly advanced tumors.