Nanocryosurgery and its mechanisms for enhancing freezing efficiency of tumor tissues.

We proposed for the first time a surgical term, the nanocryosurgery, for efficient tumor treatment through combining the theories of cyrosurgery and nanotechnology. Simulations were performed on the combined phase change bioheat transfer problems in a single cell level and its surrounding tissues, to explicate the difference of transient temperature response between conventional cyrosugery and nanocyrosurgery. According to theoretical interpretation and existing experimental measurements, intentional loading of nanoparticles with high thermal conductivity into the target tissues can lower the final temperature significantly, increase the maximum freezing rate, and enlarge the ice volume obtained in the absence of nanoparticles. In addition, introduction of nanoparticle-enhanced freezing could also make conventional cyrosurgery more flexible in many aspects such as artificially interfering in the size, shape, image and direction of iceball formation. The concepts of nanocyrosurgery may offer new opportunities for future tumor treatment.