Efficacy of combining temperature- and power-controlled radiofrequency ablation for malignant liver tumors / 癌症

<p><b>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE</b>Single mode of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) often leads to limited ablation in the zone of necrosis. This study clarifies the efficacy of combining temperature- and power-controlled RFA for malignant liver tumors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between April 2008 and August 2008, 58 patients with malignant liver tumors received RFA at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. The patients were divided into 2 groups using a random number table: one group received combined temperature- and power-controlled RFA (the combination group), and the other group received power-controlled RFA alone (the control group).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Three patients were lost to follow-up and 55 patients were included for evaluation. Twenty-five patients with 29 tumors were treated by the combination RFA, and 27 tumors (93.1%) achieved either complete response (CR) or partial response (PR). One patient had a seriously decreased heart rate. In the control group, 30 patients with 32 tumors received power-controlled RFA, and 29 tumors (90.6%) achieved CR or PR. There were no serious complications. There was no difference between the combination and control groups in treatment time ((13.3 +/- 1.3) min vs. (10.2 +/- 2.3) min, P = 0.459). The number of sessions of RFA for the combination group was less than that of control group (1.3 sessions vs. 2.4 sessions), but the difference was not significant (P = 0.579).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RFA controlling both temperature and power is effective and safe for patients with malignant liver tumors, and the number of sessions of RFA for the combination group was less than that of the control group.</p>

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation combined with other minimally invasive treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) and combined with other minimally invasive treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (RHCC) after hepatectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-four patients with RHCC after hepatectomy who were treated with PRFA or combined with other minimally invasive therapies between August 1999 and February 2008 were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no treatment related mortality in the study population, and the morbidity was 2.4% (2/84). The complete ablation rate was 94.0% (79/84), and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 74.9%, 54.9% and 48.2%, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with recurrent interval after hepatectomy less than 1 year and over 1 year were 72.1%, 36.2%, 24.2% and 76.8%, 70.6% and 65.1%, respectively (P = 0.040). The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with tumor size <or= 3 cm and > 3 cm were 83.2%, 67.7%, 67.7% and 59.1%, 24.2%, 12.1%, respectively (P = 0.003). The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of patients treated with PRFA alone and combined with percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) were 66.7%, 33.3%, 22.2% and 76.5%, 57.3%, 57.3%, respectively (P = 0.017). The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of patients treated with PRFA alone and combined with transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) were 55.6%, 24.7%, 24.7% and 81.6%, 66.0%, 57.5%, respectively (P = 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PRFA is an effective and safe treatment for RHCC, and tumor size and recurrent interval after hepatectomy are important prognostic factors. Combination with PEI or TACE may improve the efficacy of PRFA for treatment of RHCC.</p>