Immunological Response to Renal Cryoablation in an In Vivo Orthotopic Renal Cell Carcinoma Murine Model

This study shows the potential feasibility of this animal model for studying cryo-immunology. We confirm the absence of any significant immune cell infiltration in tumor bearing kidneys and report a significant inflammatory infiltrate after cryoablation, consisting primarily of neutrophils, macrophages, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with an increase in the T helper type 1/2 ratio. This orthotopic murine model can form the basis of future studies of additional immunological aspects of renal cryoablation.