Following advances that began early in the 1990?s, cryosurgery has continued its evolution as a therapeutic technique in recent years. This growth has been made possible by improved cryosurgical apparatus, advances in imaging, development of devices for minimally invasive surgery, and recent improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of freezing injury. In this issue, selected aspects of the progress are reported. Dr. Korpan describes the ultrastructural changes that follow freezing of the canine pancreas, an organ which has received rather little attention as a cryosurgical target. Dr. Clarke et al. describe the variable factors in the freezing of renal cancer cells and show with in vitro experiments the synergy in the use of freezing temperatures and cytotoxic agents. Dr. Robilotto and associates developed a novel tissue engineered prostate tumor model for the evaluation of cryoablative techniques. The article by Dr. Mouraviev et al. focuses attention on the practicality of partial prostatectomy by cryosurgery, treating the cancer in only a focal area. Dr. Baust and co-authors describe the history, technology, and issues involved in the treatment of cancer of the prostate with freezing techniques. Though the focus is largely on urologic tumors, the content of these articles is applicable to the current directions of research in cryosurgery of cancers in many sites.