凍結手術による頭頸部腫瘤および潰瘍形成性疾患の治療経験

CRYOSURGERY FOR THE TREATMENT OF NEOPLAS-MAS AND ULCERS OF THE HEAD AND NECK

　I．はじめに

　近年，凍結手術は各種の腫瘤形成性疾患，ことに腫瘍の治療法として普及してきている。これは病変部位を凍結し，変性壊死化させて腫瘍の容量の減少，消失させることを目的としている。また，凍結という組織に対しての単なる物理的作用のほかに，凍結後に宿主の特異な型の反応として，自己免疫抗体の産生を誘発することが知られてきており^1,2），凍結免疫療法による新しい悪性腫瘍の治療法として注目され始めている。筆者らは頭頸部領域の悪性および良性腫瘍，非特異性肉芽腫および潰瘍に対して凍結手術を施行し，若干の治験を得たので報告する。

　Cryosurgery was performed in 28 patients of neoplasmas and ulcers of head and neck. Most patients with head and neck cancer referred for cryotherapy have already had surgery and/or radiation therapy.

　Malignant tumors less than 1.5 cm were successfully treated by cryosurgery. However, most malignant tumors larger than 1.5 cm could not entirely be cured by cryosurgery alone. Recurrent primary tumors, which have already undergone a full course of radiation therapy, could be treated merely palliatively to rid patients of gross tumor, slough and oder. Benign tumors such as hemangioma and papilloma were destroyed immediately after cryotherapy. They all disappeard in a couple weeks after cryosurgery without other treatment. Cryosurgery was also effective in the treatment of non-specific granulomas and ulcers of the oral cavity.

　It was concluded that cryosurgery can certainly be used as a primary modality in the treatment of benign tumors and non-specific granulomas and ulcers of the head and neck.