Purpose: There are two kinds of thawing temperatures commonly adopted in cancer cryosurgery. We attempted to compare their efficacy differences in this study to optimize the surgical method. Method: Forty-five C57BL/6 J mice with GFP-labeled Lewis lung cancer were randomized into three groups (n = 15 for each): control group, TO group (thawing temperature 0 degrees C), and T40 group (thawing temperature 40 degrees C). Cryoablation was performed using a combined surgical system. When the ice ball reached the border of the tumor, they were rewarmed to 0 degrees C and 40 degrees C, respectively, using a single freeze thaw cycle. After the surgery, weight of these mice, length/width and the fluorescence intensity (FI) of the tumors were recorded. All mice were sacrificed on Day 14 after the procedures and their xenografts were excised and weighed immediately. We also checked for pulmonary metastasis, and examined tumor specimens using HE staining. Results: Body weights, tumor volumes and Fl in the three groups did not differ significantly at baseline. On Day 14, 39% of the tumors in the TO group decreased in volume, whereas only 17% in the T40 group did. The average Fl in the control group increased by 60%, but declined by 72% in TO mice and 69% in T40 mice. Tumor inhibition rates were 71.64% in the TO group and 68.12% in the T40 group. Lung metastases rates and histological changes were compatible between the two intervention groups. Conclusion: Using 0 degrees C as the thawing temperature may have more potential benefits in cryoablation efficacy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.