Microwave ablation therapy may be safe, effective for pulmonary metastases

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that Radiology, the monthly journal of the Radiological Society of North America, has published a new research study led by Prof. Thomas J. Vogl, MD, entitled, "Microwave Ablation Therapy: Clinical Utility in Treatment of Pulmonary Metastases." The study, conducted using the Evident™ microwave ablation (MWA) system, was recognized as Radiology's "Article of the Month" for November 2011.

“Microwave ablation therapy may be safely and effectively used as a therapeutic tool for treatment of pulmonary metastases.”

Thomas J. Vogl, MD, is Chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of Frankfurt, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology. He has published several books and more than 200 articles in his field of study. Commenting on the significance of this study to the field of interventional oncology, Prof. Vogl said, "We are now able to offer a precise instrument for achieving local tumor destruction on an outpatient protocol."

The first European prospective study on microwave ablation in more than three years, Prof. Vogl's research involved 80 patients with data collected over a 24-month period. In conclusion, the study states that, "Microwave ablation therapy may be safely and effectively used as a therapeutic tool for treatment of pulmonary metastases."

Pulmonary metastases most frequently originate from tumors elsewhere in the body, such as breast, colorectal, prostate, renal and other carcinomas. Thermal ablation, using technology such as the Evident microwave ablation system, can be a treatment option for patients with unresectable tumors in the lung, liver, kidney and other areas of the body. Considering the uses for ablation beyond the liver, Prof. Vogl sees microwave ablation as a very promising technology for lung and other soft tissue tumors.

The Evident microwave ablation system, introduced in 2008, was the first MWA system available globally. Covidien provides interventional oncology solutions for both microwave and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with the Evident MWA system, the Cool-tip™ RFA system and the Cool-tip RFA system E Series.

Each month, Radiology publishes approximately 300 pages of peer-reviewed original research and articles and chooses one article each month for the feature position. Dr. Vogl shared his appreciation of this recognition, saying, "This is an important acknowledgement of the significant amount of hard work that is performed at our institution."