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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2025; 17(5): 103746
Published online May 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i5.103746
Applications of cryotherapy in premalignant and malignant esophageal disease: Preventing, treating, palliating disease and enhancing immunogenicity?
Laura Sophie Boer, Stefan Nierkens, Bas L A M Weusten
Laura Sophie Boer, Bas L A M Weusten, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CX, Utrecht, Netherlands
Laura Sophie Boer, Bas L A M Weusten, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein 3435 CM, Utrecht, Netherlands
Stefan Nierkens, Department of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CX, Utrecht, Netherlands
Author contributions: Boer LS, Nierkens S, and Weusten BLAM contributed to the conception of the work and the interpretation of relevant literature; Boer LS and Nierkens S participated in the article drafting; Boer LS substantially performed the literature search and contributed to revision and figure and table preparation; Nierkens S and Weusten BLAM contributed to the revision of the article critically for important intellectual content; All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Weusten BLAM has received research funding from PENTAX Medical, C2 Therapeutics, and Aqua Medical. Boer LS is a consultant for PENTAX Medical, C2 Therapeutics.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Laura Sophie Boer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, Utrecht 3584 CX, Utrecht, Netherlands. l.s.boer-17@umcutrecht.nl
Received: December 3, 2024
Revised: February 21, 2025
Accepted: April 11, 2025
Published online: May 15, 2025
Processing time: 163 Days and 18.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Cryotherapy is an increasingly used treatment modality in the esophagus. This therapy has demonstrated safety and efficacy, particularly for Barrett esophagus though a randomized trial comparing cryotherapy to the standard treatment with radiofrequency ablation is still lacking. Interestingly the potential of cryotherapy extends far beyond Barrett esophagus with applications for a variety of other esophageal conditions and the ability to boost the immune system. Understanding the role of cryotherapy on the host’s antitumor response, both alone and in combination with immunotherapy, remains a major area of interest for future research and holds potential for significant advancements in cancer treatment.