O P E N L E T T E R To:

all ISC Members;

all Officers of the Consulting Board of Directors;

all the Regional Advisors;

all the Friends of the ISC

I am writing to you with regard to some e-mails that have been circulating and sent both anonymously and by boastingly alleged members of the International Society of Cryosurgery.

Notice however that none of these letters have been actually sent directly to the undersigned or to any of the active Full Members, nor does it appear that the same have arrived to the members of the Consulting Board of Directors, or to the Regional Advisors.

In addition to being offensive and slanderous towards me these emails seem to aime at an on-line election of a new president other than myself and of a new alternative Board of Directors to substitute for the existing one, i.e. practically wishing to change the present board of this ISC on line.

This would be like trying to change the General Motors board of directors by collecting signatures of friends on-line regardless to the shareholders’ will and vote!

In fact, none of these people is a Full Member of the ISC, and I challenge anyone of them to produce evidence of even a single registration fee to ISC. Everybody knows that only Full Members are entitled to exercise this right and only in the legal form during appropriate assemblies.

I am writing to you today because these mails may create confusion and doubts in those who do not know the history and position of the Society; I wish to therefore point out that:

- ISC and bylaws have been registered according to the Italian Law to the Competent Authorities in 2007, after a long and expensive legal process, revision, and compliance with the same Italian Laws, after the democratic approval of the Full Members’ Assembly.

- The bylaws have been released and were published on the ISC website in early 2007.

- The bylaws have never been contested or challenged by anyone, not even during the 14th and 15th World Congresses held in Beijing and St. Petersburg in 2007 and 2009.

- Over the past 6 years none of the regular ISC members, whether Consulting Board of Directors or Regional Advisers - with whom I am talking regularly -, has ever criticized the conduct of the Society under my Presidency.

Therefore the ISC summon anyone to refrain from using their Name and Trademark without prior authorization in writing to be requested by registered mail to the President of ISC, in compliance with both Italian and International laws.

Also, we feel that the authors of these email initiatives may constitute a new society similar to ISC; in this case they will find us enthusiastic and cooperative.

Yet, I MUST once again stress the fact that should this occur, the newly constituted Society would have nothing to do with the ‘International Society of Cryosurgery’ which is legally registered with the Italian authorities.

Just like the American College of Cryosurgery has risen from its own ashes, other new Societies of Cryosurgery have been founded in Asia, Europe and throughout the entire world.

All this can only make us happy, proud as we are to carry on what our early Founders did back in 1974, establishing the International Society of Cryosurgery and to them we will forever be thankful!

Therefore the International Society of Cryosurgery welcomes all.

We are very pleased that so many enthusiasts are following the footsteps of our Founders by multiplying these initiatives.

All of us at ISC are and will always be there for all those who pursue our same aim of social progress, promotion and success of cryosurgery in every corner of the world, as it has always been established in all our Statutes ever since our foundation.

Always holding and keeping these ideals unchanged though adapting them to circumstances, time, and places, I wish you all the best and prosperity and remain

Sincerely yours,

Franco Lugnani MD

President of

International Society of Cryosurgery

P.S. - I am pleased to also inform you that the organization of the16th World Congress of Cryosurgery is progressing smoothly in Trieste and the scientific program promises to be excellent.

I also want to seize this opportunity to remind everyone that my three-years term of presidency is now almost due.

During the next Congress of Trieste the advisor Board of Directors will have to submit names of candidates for the presidency to the Electoral Assembly as provided by law.

I therefore urge all those who want to apply as President of the International Society of Cryosurgery to send us their application by September 30, 2011.