Specific immunological stimulation induced by cryosurgery in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.

Following earlier personal studies indicating that cryosurgery stimulates several non-specific immunological parameters, mainly those of the cell-mediated component, in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, inhibition of leukocyte migration (evaluated by means of the LIF test) was investigated, using a heterologous squamous-cell tumour extract, before and 7 and 14 days after a single cryotherapy session in 14 patients (11 in stages I and II, 3 in stages III and IV). Increased inhibition was observed after 7 days in 8 subjects (57.2%)-72.7% in stage I-II patients. In two cases, reactivity appeared for the first time. In 7/8 cases, this increase persisted, though at lower levels, until the 14th day. The conclusion is drawn that cryosurgery can stimulate specific delayed hypersensitivity in stage I-II squamous-cell carcinoma of mouth.