Figure 1: Experimental design for the use of RFA in a neoadjuvant setting in preclinical mouse tumor models [18]. Mice with established colorectal or melanoma tumors were treated with RFA for 1 minute. Seven days later mice underwent resection of ablated tumors. Pre-resectional RFA is proposed to promote activation and expansion of the pool of tumor-reactive cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in tumor-draining nodes. While the immunostimulatory effects of RFA alone do not protect against recurrence, when performed prior to excisional surgery RFA mobilizes cytotoxic CD8+ T cells to the local treatment site and remote metastatic sites, allowing them to execute their cytotoxic functions leading to improved tumor control and enhanced survival.