Radiofrequency and microwave ablation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are the most common thermal ablation methods. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of these techniques have been carried out in recent years. Objectives: Evaluation of local therapeutic effectiveness of imaging guided percutaneous thermal ablation methods, short-middle term radiologic and clinical outcomes and to compare the effectiveness of treatment between two MWA and RFA methods. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively browsed clinical-radiologic-pathologic-demographic parameters of patients who had undergone RF or MW treatment due to HCC between January 2012 and January 2015. Twelve females (30%) and 28 males (70%) who had at least 6 months follow-up were included. We evaluated the risk factors which we considered to affect the prognosis by means of Log-Rank (Mantel-Cox) analysis. Complications rates, ablative effectiveness, local progression free and disease free survival rates for 6 months and 1 year periods were calculated by Kaplan Meier test for each group separately. The results of two groups were compared by chi-square test. Results: 6-month, 1-year and 2-year survival rates for thermal ablation were 84.6%, 78.7% and 65% for general; 76.3%, 55.2%, 33% for disease free and 78.9%, 76.2%, 37.3% for local progression free respectively. Size and number of lesions were the only parameters that effective for all type of survival rates. In addition, Child-Pugh classification, AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level and gender were found to affect just; general, disease free and local progression free survival rates respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in complication, ablative effectiveness, 6 month and 1 year general, disease free and progression free survival rates between RF and MW separately. Conclusion: RF and MW ablation methods have similar complication rates, tumor ablation efficiency and survival rates for treatment in HCC patients.