Nanoparticle-mediated cryosurgery for tumor therapy

Cryosurgery is an energy-based surgical technique. It is minimally invasive and has fewer side effects than surgical resection. However, its insufficient freezing to target tumor and unavoidable injury to healthy tissue have restricted its success. Nano-cryosurgery is the combination of cryogenic biomedicine and nanotechnology. Its principle is to introduce a nanoparticle solution into target tissues to maximize heat transfer, lower the end temperature, increase ice ball formation, and prevent healthy tissues from being frozen. This review covers common nanoplatforms for nano-cryosurgery. The characteristics, advantages, potential challenges, future prospects of applying nano-cryosurgery are discussed in detail. (c) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.