Where AblationVax began: freeze the tumor, then teach the immune system to finish it.
Cryoablation ruptures cancer cells intact, releasing their full molecular signature — then immunotherapy goes into the frozen tumor bed through the same access.
First clinical AblationVax — cryoablation plus intratumoral immunotherapy
−40°C
Lethal zone inside the ice ball
Intact
Proteins preserved — no heat to destroy antigens
In plain terms
What this procedure is, without the jargon.
This is the original AblationVax — where Dr. Williams first combined ablation with immunotherapy. Instead of PEF it uses cryoablation: destroying the tumor by freezing it through a needle, creating an “ice ball.”
Freezing ruptures the cancer cells intact, releasing a broad pool of the tumor’s “fingerprints” without the heat damage that can destroy them — so the immune system sees the cancer’s full molecular signature. Then, through the same needle, we inject intratumoral immunotherapy into the frozen tumor bed, turning the tumor into a personalized in situ vaccine and aiming for the abscopal effect.
Cryoablation has the longest track record here and is often preferred for breast, kidney and liver tumors. Cryoablation alone was recently cleared for certain early breast cancers; our procedure adds the immunotherapy half that turns local destruction into a body-wide immune response, offered across more situations under clinician review.
Cryoablation: an ice ball ruptures the cancer cells intact, preserving their molecular signature.
The treated tumor teaches your immune system to recognize the cancer body-wide.
How it works
The two-part cryoablation procedure.
Part 1
Cryoablation — the ice ball
Image-guided cryoprobes create an ice ball around the tumor. Lethal cell kill occurs in the inner zone below −40°C, and multiple freeze-thaw cycles maximize cell death and antigen release. The dying cells release danger signals (ATP, HMGB1, calreticulin) and intact protein antigens.
Part 2
Intratumoral immunotherapy
Through the same procedural access, multi-agent immune cocktails are injected into the ablation bed — checkpoint inhibitors (Yervoy, Opdivo, Keytruda), TLR9 agonists (CpG), and costimulatory agonists (OX40, CD40, 4-1BB), selected on your tumor’s biology and prior treatment.
What makes it different
What we add that cryoablation alone doesn’t.
Standard approaches
Our approach
Cleared cryoablation (ProSense, Oct 2025): one specific population — ER+/PR+/HER2− breast, ≤1.5cm, age ≥70.
Considered across cancer types and biologiesunder clinician review.
Cryoablation alone — local control as the goal.
Cryoablation + multi-agent intratumoral immunotherapythrough the same access — systemic immune activation as the goal.
Thermal ablation denatures proteins through heat.
Cells rupture intact— the immune system sees the cancer’s full molecular signature.
Why cryoablation for AblationVax.
Cells rupture intact
Extreme cold freezes and ruptures tumor cells, releasing intact proteins that prime the immune response — unlike heat, which denatures them.
Broad antigen pool released
Cryoablation creates a wide range of danger signals and tumor antigens, supporting in situ vaccination across diverse cancer biologies.
The longest track record here
Breast cryoablation since 2004, extended to pancreatic and abdominal tumors in 2008 — and combined with immunotherapy since 2014.
Is this right for you
What this procedure treats.
This procedure is considered for:
✓Breast cancer — well beyond the cleared indication: ER+/PR+/HER2−, triple-negative, HER2+, recurrent and metastatic disease under clinician review
✓Liver tumors — HCC and selected liver metastases
✓Renal masses — including clear cell carcinoma where checkpoint blockade is highly relevant
✓Prostate cancer — addressing the immune-cold microenvironment
✓Soft tissue and bone metastases — including painful bone lesions
“Cryoablation is where we first proved that ablation plus intratumoral immunotherapy could change outcomes systemically. PEF is now my preferred technique for immune stimulation, but cryoablation remains a cornerstone — especially for breast and renal, and for patients who need broad antigen release from intact-protein cell death.”
— Dr. Jason R. Williams
Track record
Pioneering cryoablation plus immunotherapy.
2004
Early adopter of breast cryoablation
Consistent with the field’s adoption era for image-guided cryoablation (Sabel et al. 2004).
2008
Extended to pancreatic and abdominal tumors
Among the most technically demanding ablation targets.
2024
Independent corroboration
Sardela de Miranda et al. publish cryoablation-induced abscopal effect in breast cancer.
Oct 2025
ProSense cryoablation cleared
The first device-specific clearance for breast cryoablation — validating the modality.
Ready to move forward?
There is more ahead. Take the next step with confidence.
Complimentary evaluation.
Dr. Williams’ team will personally review your case and imaging — no cost, no obligation.
