Needle track seeding after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma: 14-year experience at a single centre

Figures & data

Figure 1. A 48-year-old man with well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma underwent percutaneous RFA. (A) Twenty-month follow-up ultrasonography shows a 10 mm seeding nodule (arrow) with hypo echo in abdominal wall. (B) CECT shows seeding nodule (arrow) and subcapsular ablation zone (arrowhead) in portal phase.

Table 1. Clinical feature of 12 HCC patients associated with neoplastic seeding.

No.	Differentiation of HCC	Interval between RFA (month)	Local therapy	Survival after seeding (month)
1	Poorly	12	None	3
2	Poorly	6	Resection	11
3	Poorly	24	Radiotherapy	21
4	Poorly	6	None	8
5	Poorly	8	None	7
6	Moderately	12	HIFU	27
7	Moderately	12	None	4
8	Well	8	HIFU	53
9	Moderately	15	Resection	36
10	Poorly	12	HIFU	34
11	Well	20	Resection	73^a
12	Moderately	33	HIFU	6^a

^a The patients were still alive.

HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; HIFU: high-intensity focussed ultrasound therapy; RFA: radiofrequency ablation.

Table 2. Clinical feature of 741 HCC patients with 1341 tumours treated by percutaneous RFA.

Variables	Seeding (n = 12)	Without seeding (n = 1329)	p value
Child–Pugh grading			0.063
A	6	987
B	6	314
C	0	28
Tumour size			0.031
≤3 cm	4	851
>3 cm	8	478
Tumour number			0.555
Single	7	801
Multiple	5	528
Tumour location			0.031
Subcapsular	5	211
Deep	7	1118
Serum AFP			0.393
≤200 ng/ml	10	997
>200 ng/ml	2	332
Track number^a	2.50 ± 1.83	2.24 ± 1.37	0.514
Biopsy before RFA			0.001
Yes	12	718
No	0	611
Electrode type			0.034
Cool-tip	1	540
Non cool-tip	11	789

^a Values are expressed as mean ± SD.

AFP: alpha-fetoprotein; HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; RFA: radiofrequency ablation.