Liver cryosurgery

Liver cryosurgery is a relatively new form of treatment for unresectable liver cancer that involves in situ ablation of liver tumors by freezing them with liquid nitrogen. Cryosurgery has been used mainly to treat liver metastases from colorectal cancer, but other types of metastases and primary liver cancers have been treated as well. Results of liver cryosurgery over the past decade have demonstrated that it is a safe and effective treatment for malignant liver tumors. Because only a small percentage of primary and metastatic liver tumors are resectable, cryosurgery offers a potentially curative treatment option for patients with unresectable disease.