From December 10 to 14 in 2013, the 17th annual World Congress of the International Society of Cryosurgery (ISC), attended by over 140 representatives from more than 10 countries such as the United States, China, Japan, Austria, Russia and Indonesia, was convened in Bali, Indonesia. At the conference, cryotherapy experts from participating countries made brilliant speeches and discussions on cryosurgery technology and its medical application.
This year's annual meeting witnessed the election of a new president and council members for the ISC. China secured three council memberships, who were Professor Xu Kecheng (Chief President of Guangzhou FUDA Cancer Hospital), Professor Niu Lizhi (President of Guangzhou FUDA Cancer Hospital) and Professor Xiao Yueyong (Beijing-based PLA General Hospital). Among them, Professor Xu Kecheng was elected as president of the International Society of Cryosurgery, making him the second Asian president of the organization, and President Niu Lizhi won a seat in the ISC council. Ms Law Lee Poh, vice president of FUDA Cancer Hospital, was also elected as a council member as a Malaysian representative and appointed as the secretary-general of the council. The election results demonstrate the fact that China's minimally invasive cryosurgery technology has earned world-wide recognition.
Tumor treatment through cryotherapy was first invented by Americans in 1960s. Aimed at promoting the new technology, the ISC was founded in Austria in 1972. The technology matured with each passing day after over 30 years of development. In recent years, in particular, China, with its greater economic development and scientific and technological progress, has been playing a leading role in the world in terms of both theoretical research and clinical application of cryotherapy. As an efficient medical method for treating tumors, cryotherapy has been adopted by more and more medical institutions in China and has achieved remarkable cancer-treating effectiveness.
