Radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Figures & data

Table I. Reports of randomised controlled trials of comparison between RFA and PEI for hepatocellular carcinoma.

								OS rate (%)		RFS rate (%)
Author, country	Year	Treatment	No. of patients	Tumour size (cm)	Tumour number	Follow-up (months)	Initial CR (%)	1 year	3 years	1 year	2 years
Lencioni et al. [20], Italy	2003	RFA	52	2.8 (mean)	≤3 nodules	22.9 (mean)	91	100	81	86*	64*
		PEI	50	2.8 (mean)		22.4 (mean)	82	96	73	77	43
Lin et al. [21], Taiwan	2004	RFA	52	2.9 (mean)	≤3 nodules	22.4 (mean)	96	90*	74*	78*	59*
		PEI	52	2.8 (mean)		22.4 (mean)	88	85	50	61	42
		Higher dose PEI	53	2.8 (mean)		22.4 (mean)	NA	88	55	63	45
Lin et al. [22], Taiwan	2005	RFA	62	2.5 (mean)	≤3 nodules	28 (mean)	97	93*	74*	74*	60*
		PEI	62	2.3 (mean)		27 (mean)	89	88	81	70	41
		PAI	63	2.3 (mean)		27 (mean)	NA	90	53	71	43
Shiina et al. [23], Japan	2005	RFA	118	≤2 (38%)	≤4 nodules	37.2 (median)	100	90	80*	NA	NA
				>2 (62%)		NA				NA
		PEI	114	≤2 (50%)		34.8 (median)	100	82	63	NA	NA
				>2 (50%)		NA				NA
Brunello et al. [24], Italy	2008	RFA	70	2.42 (mean)	≤3 nodules	26.1 (median)	96	88	59	NA	NA
		PEI	69	2.25 (mean)		25.3 (median)	66	96	57	NA	NA

RFA, radiofrequency ablation; PEI, percutaneous ethanol injection; CR, complete response; OS, overall survival; RFS, recurrence free survival; NA, not available. *Statistically significant.

Table II. Reports of randomised controlled trials of comparison between SR and RFA for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

							OS rate (%)		RFS rate (%)
Author, country	Year	Treatment	No. of patients	Tumour size (cm)	Tumour number	Follow-up (months)	1 year	3 years	1 year	2 years
Chen et al. [25], China	2006	Resection	90	≤3 (46.7%), 3.1–5.0 (53.3%)	Single	29.2 (mean)	93.3	73.4	86.6	76.8
		RFA	71	≤3.0 (52.1%), 3.1–5.0 (47.9%)		27.9 (mean)	94.4	68.6	90.8	68.6
Huang et al. [26], China	2010	Resection	115	>3.0/≤3.0 (44/45, single)	≤3 nodules	46.4 (median)	98.3	92.2*	85.2	73.9*
		RFA	115	>3.0/≤3 (27/57, single)		37.2 (median)	87	69.6	81.7	59.1
Feng et al. [27], China	2012	Resection	84	less than 4	≤2 nodules	36	96	74.8	93.1	67.2
		RFA	84	less than 4		36	90.6	76.7	86.2	66.6

SR, surgical resection; RFA, radiofrequency ablation; OS, overall survival; RFS, recurrence free survival. *Statistically significant.

Table III. Reports of randomised controlled trials of comparison between RFA plus TACE and RFA alone for hepatocellular carcinoma.

								OS rate (%)
Author, country	Year	Treatment	No. of patients	Tumour size (cm)	Tumour number	Initial CR (%)	Follow-up (months)	1 year	3 years	5 years
Cheng et al. [88], China	2008	RFA	100	3–7.5	≤3 nodules	37	24.6 (mean)	67*	32*	8*
		TACE	95			5	25.4 (mean)	74*	32*	13*
		RFA + TACE	96			55	35.8 (mean)	83	55	31
Shibata et al. [92], Japan	2009	RFA	43	0.8–3	≤2 nodules	100	30.4 (mean)	100	84.5	NA
		RFA + TACE	46			100	100	84.8	NA
Morimoto et al. [89], Japan	2010	RFA	18	3.7 (mean)	Single	100	32 (mean)	89	80	NA
		RFA + TACE	19	3.6 (mean)		100	30 (mean)	100	93	NA
Peng et al. [90], abstract only, China	2012	RFA	95	<7	NA	NA	7 to 62 months	85.3	59*	NA
		RFA + TACE	94			NA		92.6	66.6	NA

RFA, radiofrequency ablation; TACE, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; CR, complete response; OS, overall survival; NA, not available. *Statistically significant.

Table IV. New emerging ablative techniques for hepatocellular carcinoma.

1.	Radiofrequency thermal ablation using lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD).	[114]
2.	Irreversible electroporation (IRE).	[115,116]
3.	High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU).	[117,118]
4.	Oncolytic virus therapy.	[119]
5.	Photodynamic therapy.	[120]
6.	Robot-assisted ablation therapy.	[121]
7.	Microwave ablation therapy.	[122]
8.	Cryoablation therapy.	[123]
9.	Laser ablation therapy.	[124]

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