Cryoablation combined with immunotherapy: new strategies and progress in the treatment of tumors.

In recent years, continuous advances in interventional therapies for pulmonary diseases have made minimally invasive treatment an important focus of this field because of its limited trauma, rapid recovery, and reliable efficacy. As a representative minimally invasive modality, cryoablation kills tumor cells mainly through cold-induced cellular injury, vascular injury, and immune modulation. Although existing studies have confirmed the immune-activating effects of cryoablation, cryoablation alone is limited by insufficient antitumor immune intensity and restricted control of distant tumors, making it difficult to maximize systemic antitumor efficacy. Recent evidence suggests that combining cryoablation with immunotherapy may amplify antitumor effects through complementary mechanisms. However, unlike previous reviews that have focused primarily on general mechanisms and preliminary efficacy, few have delved into the translational bottlenecks of cryoablation parameters, treatment sequencing, and lymph-node management. In addition to summarizing the immunological mechanisms, research progress, clinical applications, and current challenges, this review goes beyond mere description by synthesizing evidence on these three underappreciated aspects, proposing a practical sequencing framework, and outlining actionable strategies for lymph-node preservation versus ablation. We further appraise the evidence tumor by tumor and grade it by evidence tier, so that the strength of every recommendation is explicit and the tumor types for which no clinical data exist are named. Together these elements offer a clearer and more clinically instructive perspective for combination immunotherapy and provide a theoretical basis for optimizing treatment strategies for patients with tumors.