Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells that play a critical role in priming tumor immune responses. We investigated the mechanisms of antitumor efficacy of DCs pulsed with argon-helium-cryotreated glioma cells. There was significant upregulation of maturation markers (CD80, CD86, MHC-I, and MHC-II) in argon-helium freeze-thawed lysate-pulsed DCs. The concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-12 secreted by lysate-pulsed DCs was increased. The concentration of interferon-γ secreted by T cells stimulated by lysate-pulsed DCs was increased. The cytotoxicity assay showed that T cells stimulated by lysate-pulsed DCs could kill glioma cells significantly more effectively. Our results suggest that argon-helium freeze-thawed lysate-pulsed DCs in vitro can promote DC maturation and enhance DC antigen-presenting function, and induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes to kill tumor cells. Therefore, the combination of argon-helium cryoablation and DC vaccine may represent a novel treatment method for glioma.