Clinical Results, Risk Factors, and Future Directions of Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Microwave Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, with a relatively poor prognosis, especially for advanced HCC. With the availability of a variety of treatment options, the treatment strategies for HCC have become more and more diversified. Microwave ablation (MWA) has gradually been considered as a viable alternative to surgical resection (SR) owing to its comparable long-term survival, reduced complications, and greater preservation of hepatic parenchyma. However, clinical outcomes, tumor progression, and recurrence of HCC after MWA remain major concerns. Here, after reviewing the current therapeutic options for HCC, we focus on MWA, describing the advantages and challenges of MWA and the clinical results after treatment. We then focused on prognostic factors that influence post-ablation clinical outcomes and briefly presented the strategy of MWA for future clinical treatment.

Enhancing Patient Outcomes through Microwave Ablation in Hepatic Malignant Tumors: Insights on Recurrence Factors

“…Percutaneous microwave ablation has emerged as a signi cant approach for managing malignant liver tumors [20,21,22,23]. This study's nding of a 70.3% 3-year disease-free survival rate postpercutaneous microwave ablation highlights a signi cant improvement over previous research.…”

Long-term oral administration of Huaier granules improves survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients within Milan criteria following microwave ablation: a propensity score matching and stabilized inverse probability weighting analysis

“…The overall prognosis for early-stage HCC treated with MWA is commonly unfavorable ( Dong et al, 2023 ). To improve outcomes in this patient population, adjuvant therapy becomes crucial.…”

“…Notably, MWA distinguishes itself with quicker heating over a larger volume, reduced vulnerability to heat sinks, and improved local perfusion compared to RFA ( Tan et al, 2019 ). Despite these advantages, the overall prognosis for early-stage HCC patients undergoing MWA remains poor, with a 5-year recurrence rate reaching approximately 70% ( Dong et al, 2023 ). Although various postoperative adjuvant therapies (AT) have been explored to enhance outcomes for HCC patients ( Bruix et al, 2015 ; Omata et al, 2017 ; Chen et al, 2018 ; Heimbach et al, 2018 ), none have yet been endorsed as adjuvant therapy following MWA.…”

Construction of BaTiO3–TiO2 hollow sphere heterojunctions for enhanced microwave dynamic therapy in cancer treatment

“…4–7 For neoplasms located deep in the viscera, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ultrasonic imaging-guided microwave ablation therapy has become a prominent minimally invasive and safe procedure for tumor elimination. 8–10 However, this procedure often leads to hyperthermia-induced side effects on important organs adjacent to the lesion undergoing ablation. 11–13 Therefore, it is necessary to explore and develop novel treatment technologies to address these challenges.…”