Combining Transarterial Embolization and Percutaneous Cryoablation for Early-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma: Embolization Materials and Impacts of Tumor Size

Our aim was to compare the complication rates of different embolization materials (absolute ethanol and gelatin sponges) used for combined transarterial embolization (TAE) and to investigate the impact of tumor size on operative time and cryoneedle use during percutaneous cryoablation (PCA). We treated 27 patients (9 women and 18 men; mean age, 74 years) with 28 early-stage (T1a) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) lesions using combined TAE and PCA between September 2018 and January 2021. During TAE, 15 lesions in 14 patients were embolized using mixed absolute ethanol and iodized oil. The remaining 13 lesions (in 13 patients) were embolized using a gelatin sponge followed by iodized oil. The PCA was performed within 3 to 21 days of the TAE. We compared complications between the TAE subgroups (i.e., absolute ethanol and gelatin sponge) and assessed potential correlations between tumor size and the operative time of the PCA. All patients were successfully treated by combined TAE-PCA. Local control was achieved for all patients (monitoring period, 1-48 months; median, 28 months). Although the effect of TAE did not differ between subgroups, a significantly higher number of patients in the absolute ethanol group experienced intraprocedural pain than in the gelatin sponge group ( < 0.05). The operative time of the PCA was significantly correlated with the size of the RCC lesion ( < 0.01). The number of cryoneedles used for the PCA was also correlated with the size of the RCC lesion ( < 0.0001). For TAE prior to PCA for early-stage RCC, gelatin sponges can replace absolute ethanol to reduce intraprocedural pain. Tumor size correlates with operative time and the number of cryoneedles needed for PCA, which suggests the total medical cost for PCA therefore varies based on the tumor's size.