Author: PQ Wu, MD, PHD
Cryotherapy is a fairly effective treatment for osteosarcomas. Its main mechanism is to destroy tumor cells by rapid freezing and slow thawing process that causes water molecules inside and outside cells to form ice crystals and aggregate to destroy tumor cells. The most common cryotherapy medium is liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen has minus 196 degrees Celsius properties that can quickly reduce the temperature of contacted cells, tissues, and tumors to the low temperatures that kill tumors.

 

Clinical application of cryotherapy

Malignant bone tumors

After surgical removal of malignant bone tumors, biological reconstruction with frozen autograft is conducted via cryogenic freezing.

Benign bone tumor

After surgical removal of benign bone tumors, adjuvant therapy can be applied to the residual tumors to reduce the tumor recurrence rate

Cancer with bone metastasis (Single site)

After surgical removal of the single bone metastasis, biological reconstruction with frozen autograft is conducted via cryogenic freezing

Cancer with bone metastasis (multiple metastases) 

After the curettage of metastasized tumors, adjuvant therapy can be applied to the residual tumors to reduce the tumor recurrence rate

Soft tissue sarcoma

If soft tissue sarcoma invades important nerve and blood vessels or attaches bones, cryotherapy is applied after tumor remova

Myelitis (infection)

Cryotherapy destroys the biofilm of bacteria and leads bacteria to apoptosis

 


 
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