Durable oncologic outcomes after radiofrequency ablation

BACKGROUND: Long‐term oncologic outcomes for renal thermal ablation are limited. The authors of this report present their experience with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy for 243 small renal masses (SRMs) over the past 7.5 years. METHODS: The authors' institutional, prospectively maintained RFA database was reviewed to determine intermediate and long‐term oncologic outcomes for patients with SRMs (generally 3 years removed from RFA. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. At a mean follow‐up of 27 months in 208 patients (243 masses) who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the 5‐year recurrence‐free, cancer‐specific, metastasis‐free, and overall survival rates were 93%, 99%, 95%, and 85%, respectively. Although longer term follow‐up will be required, RFA continues to remain efficacious for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma at 5 years.