There are no official guidelines to assist in answering this question. I will search for relevant research papers instead.
From the Research
Application Duration of Cryotherapy for Superficial Spreading Basal Cell Carcinoma
The recommended application duration of cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen (LN) spray for superficial spreading basal cell carcinoma (BCC) can be inferred from several studies:
- A study published in 1996 1 compared the efficacy of one freeze-thaw cycle versus two freeze-thaw cycles in the treatment of facial basal cell carcinomas and found that a single 30-second freeze-thaw cycle achieved a cure rate of 79.4%, while a double 30-second freeze-thaw cycle achieved a cure rate of 95.3%.
- The same study 1 also found that treatment of superficial truncal basal cell carcinomas with a single 30-second freeze-thaw cycle achieved a cure rate of 95.5%.
- Another study published in 2022 2 compared the effectiveness of curettage versus cryosurgery for superficial basal cell carcinomas and found that cryosurgery using one freeze-thaw cycle achieved a clinical clearance rate of 100% after 1 year.
- A study published in 2009 3 used in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy to monitor the efficacy of cryotherapy for superficial basal cell carcinomas and found that cryotherapy caused cell necrosis and incipient blistering within 5 hours after treatment.
Key Findings
Key findings related to the application duration of cryotherapy for superficial spreading basal cell carcinoma include:
- The use of a single 30-second freeze-thaw cycle can achieve high cure rates for superficial truncal basal cell carcinomas 1.
- A double 30-second freeze-thaw cycle may be necessary to achieve high cure rates for facial basal cell carcinomas 1.
- Cryosurgery using one freeze-thaw cycle can achieve a clinical clearance rate of 100% after 1 year for superficial basal cell carcinomas 2.
- Cryotherapy can cause cell necrosis and incipient blistering within 5 hours after treatment, as observed using in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy 3.
Application Duration
Based on these studies, the recommended application duration of cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen (LN) spray for superficial spreading basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is: