Percutaneous tumor ablation with radiofrequency

• Published in: Cancer Vol. 94; no. 2; pp. 443 - 451
• Main Authors: Wood, Bradford J., Ramkaransingh, Jeffrey R., Fojo, Tito, Walther, McClellan M., Libutti, Stephen K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 15-01-2002; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Catheter Ablation - methods; Humans; hyperthermia; Hypothermia, Induced; Liver Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Liver Neoplasms - surgery; Medical sciences; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures - methods; minimally invasive therapy; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Other treatments; radiofrequency thermal ablation; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Treatment. General aspects; tumor ablation; Tumors; Human; Instrumentation therapy; Malignant tumor; Radiofrequency; Ablation; Percutaneous route
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.10234

BACKGROUND
Radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFA) is a new minimally invasive treatment for localized cancer. Minimally invasive surgical options require less resources, time, recovery, and cost, and often offer reduced morbidity and mortality, compared with more invasive methods. To be useful, image‐guided, minimally invasive, local treatments will have to meet those expectations without sacrificing efficacy.
METHODS
Image‐guided, local cancer treatment relies on the assumption that local disease control may improve survival. Recent developments in ablative techniques are being applied to patients with inoperable, small, or solitary liver tumors, recurrent metachronous hereditary renal cell carcinoma, and neoplasms in the bone, lung, breast, and adrenal gland.
RESULTS
Recent refinements in ablation technology enable large tumor volumes to be treated with image‐guided needle placement, either percutaneously, laparoscopically, or with open surgery. Local disease control potentially could result in improved survival, or enhanced operability.
CONCLUSIONS
Consensus indications in oncology are ill‐defined, despite widespread proliferation of the technology. A brief review is presented of the current status of image‐guided tumor ablation therapy. More rigorous scientific review, long‐term follow‐up, and randomized prospective trials are needed to help define the role of RFA in oncology. Cancer 2002;94:443–51. © 2002 American Cancer Society.
Radiofrequency thermal ablation is a new minimally invasive treatment for localized cancer that uses image guidance to place needles in tumors and destroy large volumes of tissue with heat. Initial reports are promising, and potential applications are broad; however, randomized trials with long‐term results are yet to be reported.