JVIR supplement to review thermal ablation usage in treating cancer

August JVIR supplement offers review of outcomes, state-of-the-art devices and uses to medically kill cancer

The unprecedented growth and promise of using thermal ablation to target and kill cancer is the subject of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology's August supplement, "Thermal Ablation 2010: At the Crossroads of Past Success, Current Goals and Future Technology."

"The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology supplement sheds light on the development of multiple medical techniques and devices for cancer tumor ablation," said Daniel B. Brown, M.D., guest editor. "For all its richness of information, the JVIR supplement should be considered a snapshot of the state of the art," added Brown, an interventional radiologist and chief of interventional radiology and interventional oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. The supplement articles provide a current overview of the types of ablation devices that are commonly used and are now expanding in clinical practice and review the current status of ablation outcomes in different organ systems.

"As interventional oncology continues to grow over the next few years, additional advances will be made within existing and novel treatments, including liquid nitrogen-based cryotherapy, newer microwave devices, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound and other technologies," said Brown.

"Interventional radiologists and other practitioners interested in tumor ablation currently face a number of challenging questions: What patients are best served by ablation? What results can be anticipated? Can ablation be combined with other types of tumor therapy to improve outcomes?" said JVIR editor Albert A. Nemcek Jr., M.D., FSIR. "This supplement helps answer those questions," said Nemcek, an interventional radiologist and professor of radiology and surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill.

The following articles are included in "Thermal Ablation 2010: At the Crossroads of Past Success, Current Goals and Future Technology."

• "Radiofrequency Ablation: Mechanism of Action and Devices"
• "Cryoablation: Mechanism of Action and Devices"
• "Microwave Tumor Ablation: Mechanism of Action, Clinical Results and Devices"
• "Percutaneous Ablation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Status"
• "Ablation of Liver Metastases: Current Status"
• "Ablation of Pulmonary Malignancy: Current Status"
• "Thermal Ablation of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Triage, Treatment and Follow-up"
• "Ablation of Skeletal Metastases: Current Status"
• "Enhancing Ablation: Synergies With Regional and Systemic Therapies"
• "Navigation Systems for Ablation"