A 17-year review of cryosurgery in the treatment of bone tumors.

Depending on size of the lesion, cryosurgery may be effective (as it is in other fields of oncology surgery) in reducing the morbidity of en bloc excision. For benign lesions, cryosurgery may lessen the extent of curettage and, therefore, the need for autologous iliac bone grafts. Cryosurgery also reduces the local recurrence rate, and, probably because of devitalization of tumor cells, lessens the rate of malignant degeneration and metastases. The lower rate of malignant degeneration in giant cell tumor is dramatic and statistically significant when compared to curettage+/- phenol washings. In addition, good functional results are compelling reasons for cryosurgery in preference to other methods of reducing tumor burden. Radiation may be avoided as, for example, in aneurysmal bone cysts. The need for supplementary radiation therapy, i.e., 3500 rads, is substantially lessened, and, therefore, may eliminate the possibility of secondary radiation sarcoma.