Biomedical subjects

A A Gage

Publications and source records attributed to A A Gage.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Progress in cryosurgery.

The Workshop on Cryosurgery at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cryobiology contained a diversity of papers which fairly represented the present state of cryosurgery in medical practice and which identified directions for future research. Emphasis was clearly on the development of visceral cryosurgery, which appears likely to become of increased clinical importance as a result of combination with ultrasound imaging techniques. This report reviews in brief the important new developments in cryosurgery and focuses on those presentations which were of special interest from the viewpoint of research in cryosurgery.

Cryosurgery↗

PubMed1992

Cryosurgery in the treatment of cancer.

The range of application of cryosurgical techniques to the treatment of cancer is widely diversified and slowly increasing in scope. From these, one may reach the general conclusion that cryosurgical techniques are a standard method of treatment, competitive with other methods of therapy, in cancer located in some sites. For cancers located in other sites, cryosurgery is only useful as an end resort in selected patients. In some areas, especially in the viscera, cryosurgical techniques are only in developmental stages. Cryosurgery is most useful in easily accessible areas of the body. The results of the treatment of most carcinomas of the skin with cryosurgical techniques are as good as any other method of therapy. In carcinoma involving skin, cryosurgery has a special advantage in those situations when malignant tissue overlies bone. Cryosurgery is also useful in the management of dysplastic disease or carcinoma in situ, principally in the oral cavity and the uterine cervix. These applications are sufficiently valuable to be included in the textbooks concerned with those areas. Invasive cancer in other accessible sites, such as the oral cavity or the rectum, can be cured by cryosurgery, but the reports in the medical literature have not led to general use of the technique or descriptions of the technique in textbooks, except for occasional brief mention. Nevertheless, patients who are at high risk for surgical treatment because of coagulopathy or severe cardiopulmonary disease are appropriate candidates for the use of cryosurgical techniques. In the oral cavity, the possibility of preserving the bony structure is an attractive feature that maintains interest in cryosurgery. Unfortunately, there are no control studies to assist in the judgment of merit and in many cited reports, it is not easy to determine the survival rate or compare results with conventional therapy. In these sites, freezing techniques are more often used to achieve palliation of distressing symptoms by tumor bulk reduction, especially when little else can be done, and under these conditions, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also commonly used. In less accessible sites, which generally require endoscopic or surgical exposure, cryosurgery is not often used. The treatment of carcinoma of the prostate gland by cryosurgery remains viable because of continued interest in the potentiation of immunologic defenses against carcinoma. This possible benefit is most evident in experimental tumors, but clinical evidence of benefit is not as clear.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cryosurgery↗

PubMed1991

The five-year cure rate achieved by cryosurgery for skin cancer.

Cryosurgery was used to treat 3540 new basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin from 1971 to 1989; a cure rate of 98.4% was achieved. To determine the 5-year cure rate in more recent years, the results of treatment of 684 nonmelanotic skin cancers from 1980 to 1984 were reviewed. In the group of 628 basal cell carcinomas, the 5-year cure rate was 99.0%. In the group of 52 squamous cell carcinomas, the 5-year cure rate was 96.1%. In the series were also four patients with basosquamous cell carcinomas, all of whom were recurrence free for 5 years or more. The overall 5-year cure rate in the 684 cases was 98.8%. On the basis of these data and our cosmetic results, we conclude that cryosurgery is an effective treatment that compares favorably with other established methods of therapy.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗

PubMed1989

Cryosurgical societies: a historical note.

Interest in cryosurgery developed quickly after modern cryosurgical apparatus became available early in the 1960s and a forum for the clinical reports was provided by the Society for Cryobiology at its annual meetings. The exchange of ideas made possible by interaction with the membership of the Society enhanced the scientific basis and expedited the subsequent evolution of the new cryosurgical techniques. In later years, especially in the 1970s, the increased use of cryosurgery in the diverse specialities of medicine stimulated the formation of cryosurgical societies on a national and international basis. The initial growth of these organizations was rapid, but recently the rate of acquisition of new members has slowed, though new national societies continue to form in areas where none previously existed. The progress in the development of cryosurgical techniques and apparatus has also slowed. To infuse some vitality in the specialty, collaborative interaction with cryobiologists and cryoengineers is essential. To provide this interaction, the efforts toward joint meetings of the disciplines merit renewed emphasis.

Cryosurgery↗

PubMed1988

Current progress in cryosurgery.

The 4-day sessions of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the American College of Cryosurgery in New Orleans, February 18-21, 1988, provided an intense overview of the position of cryosurgery in modern day medical practice. The variety of speakers demonstrated that interest in the therapeutic technique of cryosurgery remains high and that usage is greater, more diversified, and more selective than in past years. Emphasis at the meeting was placed on the selective use of cryosurgery, that is, defining the terms under which the physician would choose between diverse methods of local therapy, such as excision, electrosurgery, laser surgery, and cryosurgery. Most of the presentations were oriented clinically with emphasis on the results of cryosurgery. This brief report is intended to mention the important new developments in cryosurgery and to focus on some of the issues and needs that affect the future of the technique.

Cryosurgery↗

PubMed1988