[Radiofrequency ablation: a new approach in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma]

HCC is a tumor with increasing incidence that usually develops on cirrhotic liver; therefore the prognosis depends on both tumor size and liver function. HCC generally shows a slow growth and (not very important) symptoms; so, the periodic surveillance of cirrhotic patients, by using US examination and alpha-fetoprotein level, allows an early diagnosis of the tumor. Several techniques have proved useful in the treatment of HCC but, in comparison with other currently available percutaneous therapies, RF ablation appears to have several advantages. Authors' results suggest that RF ablation is an effective and safe procedure for the therapy of local hepatic neoplasms. However, further studies will be required to demonstrate that RF ablation is more effective than percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) in the treatment of HCC.