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Cryosurgery
Source: Skin Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 12, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Cryosurgery may be considered for patients with small, clinically well-defined primary tumors. It may be useful for patients with medical conditions that preclude other types of surgery.[16,17] Contraindications for cryosurgery include:
Abnormal cold tolerance.
Cryoglobulinemia or cryofibrinogenemia.
Raynaud disease (in the case of lesions on the hands and feet).
Platelet deficiency disorders.
Tumors of the scalp, ala nasi, nasolabial fold, tragus, postauricular sulcus, free eyelid margin, upper lip vermillion border, and lower legs.
Tumors near nerves.
Caution should also be used before treating nodular ulcerative neoplasia larger than 3 cm in diameter, carcinomas fixed to the underlying bone or cartilage, tumors situated on the lateral margins of the fingers and at the ulnar fossa of the elbow, or recurrent carcinomas following surgical excision. Permanent pigment loss at the treatment site is unavoidable, so the treatment is not well suited to patients with dark skin.
Edema is common after treatment, especially around the periorbital region, temple, and forehead. Treated tumors usually exude necrotic material, after which an eschar forms and persists for about 4 weeks. Atrophy and hypertrophic scarring have been reported, as have instances of motor and sensory neuropathy.
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