PERCUTANEOUS RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION FOR PRIMARY AND METASTATIC LIVER CANCERS BY AN EXPANDABLE ELECTRODE

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has recently begun being used against liver cancer. Subjects were 5 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 1 with cholangiocellular carcinoma, and 3 with metastatic liver cancer, 1 of whom was treated intraoperatively with RFA and 8 of whom were treated percutaneously. The patient with HCC was additionally treated by intraoperative RFA after percutaneous RFA. RFA was effective in 7 of 9 (77.8%) but not in 2 as determined by computed tomography and serum tumor markers. Post-RFA complication included slight side effects in liver function and 1 patient (11.1%) who had prolonged fever, local pain and right pleural effusion. One of the 7 treated effectively (14.3%) showed Post-REA recurrence. RFA is thus effective in feating liver cancer locally.