Microwave coagulation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

The efficacy and safety of microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and impaired hepatic reserve were studied. Preoperative background factors, postoperative results, and prognostic factors were compared in 51 patients who underwent hepatic resection (HR group) and 38 patients who underwent microwave coagulation therapy (MCT group). Before surgery, measures of hepatic function, including level of albumin (P = 0.0072), prothrombin time (P<0.0001), hepaplastin test (P = 0.0088), and the radioactivity of technetium-99m galactosyl-human serum albumin 15 min in the liver after injection divided by that in both liver and heart (P <0.0001) were significantly lower in the MCT group than in the HR group. The indocyanine green dye retention rate at 15 min was significantly greater (P<0.0001) in the MCT group than in the HR group, and a significant difference was noted in Child-Pugh grade between the groups (P<0.0001). Operative time (P = 0.0014) and blood loss during surgery (P = 0.0005) were significantly lower in the MCT group than in the HR group. In contrast, no significant differences were recognized between the groups in the changes in postoperative liver function, or in the rates of morbidity, mortality, local recurrence, and survival. Moreover, the type of treatment (HR or MCT) was not a prognostic factor. The results indicate that MCT can be used safely as an alternative to hepatic resection in patients with poor liver function without reducing the efficacy of local control.

Percutaneous microwave and radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective comparative study

“…There was no significant difference in cumulative survival between the two groups (P = 0. 12) In previous studies using RFA, the complication rates ranged between 0% and 12%, and the mortality rates ranged from 0% to 1%. 29 On the other hand, the complication rates associated with MWA in various series were reported to be 0%-14%, and there were no treatment-related deaths.…”

“…On the other hand, MWA has been used mainly in Japan and China since Seki et al 11 first reported its use in 1994. [12][13][14][15] Both modalities have shown promising results in many single centers; [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] however, there are few reports with regard to comparisons of these modalities. 22 In the present study, we retrospectively compared percutaneous MWA with RFA for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in terms of local tumor control, complications related to treatment, and long-term outcome.…”

Prognostic Factors and Recurrence of Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Hepatic Resection or Microwave Ablation: A Retrospective Study

“…26 Promising results of microwave ablation for HCC have been demonstrated in several other studies. [27][28][29][30] However, there are few papers concerning the effect of microwave ablation on the recurrence and metastasis of HCCs on long-term survival, especially for small HCCs of diameter <5 cm. In this study, we compared the recurrence and metastasis of small HCCs of diameter <5 cm between microwave ablation and hepatic resection group.…”

Percutaneous thermal ablation for primary hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Over the past two decades, considerable improvements in percutaneous/laparoscopic MWA techniques have resulted in improved outcomes. [8][9][10] MWA has been predominantly used in China and Japan, [11][12][13] but the technique is now gaining popularity in the West.…”