Electrocoagulation induced immunity--an explanation for regression of neuroblastoma

Electrocoagulation of tumor potentiates the host's antitumor immune response. Utilizing a murine neuroblastoma system and comparing surgical excision versus electrocoagulation we have demonstrated that electrocoagulation potentiates the immunogenicity of the neuroblastoma, potentiates the host antitumor immune response to residual primary tumor, and potentiates the host antitumor immune response to distant autochthonous neuroblastoma. These data suggest that such a heightened antitumor response might account for spontaneous regression of massive clinical neuroblastomas treated by electrocoagulation, and they suggest that electrococoagulation may be useful as a treatment modality for cytoreductive neuroblastoma surgery.