Advances in cryosurgery during the past decade.

Many advances have been made in cryosurgery during the past decade. Important considerations are the high cure rate, good cosmetic result, convenience, and cost effectiveness. In an era of budget restraints with regard to medical care and in a time of concern with exposure to bloodborne pathogens, cryosurgery offers unique solutions. Cure rates for skin cancer in the area of 97 to 98 percent, for actinic keratosis, 98 percent, and for lentigo maligna, 96 percent, should encourage its use in more patients. The effectiveness in freezing lesions of leukoplakia, dermatofibroma, hemangioma, keloid, and lentigo adds to the versatility of the method. With the further development of ultrasound in measuring the depth of tumors prior to freezing and the availability of superior monitoring systems and perhaps helium cryosurgical units, cryosurgery could become the most widely used technique in dermatology. The development of a cryopeel for sundamaged skin provides an alternative treatment to the chemical peels in use today.