Three-year data shows that radiofrequency ablation is as effective as surgical resection for overall survival and tumor recurrence, for the treatment of single small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis, according to a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.
Surgical resection is considered the first-line treatment for patients with small uninodular hepatocellular carcinoma and well-compensated liver cirrhosis, i.e., patients who still have good liver function. Radiofrequency ablation is a much less invasive technique in which imaging is used to guide a needle through the skin and into the tumor, and then heat is applied, killing the cancerous cells and sparing the healthy tissue. One-hundred-sixty-two patients with 38 surgical cases and 124 radiofrequency ablation cases were evaluated in this matched, case-control study. Overall survival rates were 72 percent at 3 years in the radiofrequency ablation group, versus 65 percent at 3 years in the surgical resection group.
"Radiofrequency ablation is increasingly accepted as the best treatment option for patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma when surgical resection is precluded," says interventional radiologist and principal investigator Riccardo Lencioni, M.D., Professor of Radiology at the University of Pisa, Italy. "This study is important because it shows that patients who receive radiofrequency ablation can have the same life expectancy as patients in similar condition who undergo surgery."
Radiofrequency energy can be given without affecting the patient's overall health and most people can resume their usual activities in few days. "It is important for the medical community to be aware that this option should be offered as early as possible in the course of this disease," says Lencioni. Hepatocellular carcinoma most frequently occurs in those who have a form of liver disease called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs when the liver becomes diseased and develops scarring, usually over a period of years. The liver attempts to repair, or regenerate itself. This process can lead to the formation of tumors. In the United States, the most common causes of cirrhosis are chronic infection with the liver virus hepatitis B or C, or alcohol abuse.