Thermal ablation is widely used in the treatment of
lung cancer and is beneficial for the overall survival of patients in clinic. However, there is barely a priority in which ablation system should be chosen under different periods of
tumor progression in
lung cancer. The present study investigated different modes of thermal ablation systems in mice with transplanted
Lewis lung carcinoma tumors and their various biological effects in local regions using untargeted metabolomics. The results showed that thermal ablation could significantly suppress
tumor growth and the differentially expressed metabolites of
tumors after ablation relative to untreated
tumors concentrated on organic compounds, organic
acids and derivatives,
nucleosides,
nucleotides, and
lipids. The upregulated metabolites indicated an inflammatory reaction in the ablation groups at an early stage after ablation.
Steroid hormone and
tryptophan metabolism, which are associated with immune responses, were modulated after both
cryoablation and hyperthermal ablation. Characteristically, the results also indicated that
cryoablation suppressed
glucose oxidation and carbohydrate metabolism of
tumor, while hyperthermal ablation suppressed lipid metabolism of
tumor. In conclusion, thermal ablation could inhibit
tumor growth under either freezing or heating modes with characteristic different biological effects on
tumors.