Purpose: To evaluate the clinical utility of radiofrequency (RF) ablation combined with chemoembolization in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) located in the caudate lobe.
Materials and methods: Between September 2000 and October 2011, 20 consecutive patients with single HCC measuring≤5 cm were treated with combination therapy of chemoembolization and RF ablation. Technical success was defined as completion of a planned electrode placement and ablation protocol. The effectiveness of the technique was defined as disappearance of tumor enhancement with an ablative margin of≥5 mm. Technical success, technique effectiveness, local tumor progression, overall and recurrence-free survival, and complications were evaluated.
Results: RF electrodes were placed in planned sites of each tumor, and ablation was complete in all patients (technical success rate 100%). Tumor enhancement disappeared with sufficient ablative margins after 20 RF sessions in all patients (technique effectiveness rate 100%). Major and minor complication rates were 10.0% and 15.0%. Local tumor progression was found in 2 of 20 patients (10.0%) with local tumor progression rates of 6.3% at 1 year and 13.5% at 3 years and 5 years. Six patients died during the follow-up period (mean, 40.0 months; range, 2.0-110.5 months). Overall and recurrence-free survival rates were 94.4% and 70.8% at 1 year, 86.6% and 36.9% at 3 years, and 67.5% and 45.5% at 5 years.
Conclusions: RF ablation combined with chemoembolization is a safe and useful therapeutic option to treat HCCs located in the caudate lobe.
Copyright © 2012 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.