Efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation for treating locoregional recurrence from papillary thyroid cancer

Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound- (US) guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for controlling locoregional recurrent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in a large patient population. Methods We included patients who had undergone RFA for locoregional recurrent PTC between September 2008 and April 2012 who fulfilled the following criteria: no metastasis beyond the neck; not more than four tumours; confirmed recurrence by US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy or thyroglobulin measurement of needle washouts; more than a six-month follow-up period; and surgery not feasible or was refused by the patient. Results Sixty-one recurrent tumours in 39 patients were included. The mean follow-up duration was 26.4 ± 13.7 months. Tumour volume decreased significantly from 0.20 ± 0.35 ml before ablation to 0.02 ± 0.11 ml ( P