Radiofrequency thermal ablation versus other interventions for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignant diseases worldwide. A potential curative option is surgical resection. Due to impaired liver function and/or anatomical reasons only few patients can be treated surgically. For the majority of patients, several interventions have been developed. Among these, local radiofrequency inducing heat production has been used to coagulate the cancer.

To evaluate the effects of radiofrequency thermal ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with respect to clinically relevant outcomes (mortality, rate of recurrences, adverse events, quality of life, and duration of hospital stay) versus sham intervention, no intervention, or other interventions.

We searched The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register on The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CancerLit, and Current Contents until October 2003. Handsearches were also conducted. Reference lists of the identified articles were checked for further trials.

All randomised trials investigating radiofrequency thermal ablation versus placebo, no intervention, or any other therapeutic approach were considered for inclusion, regardless of blinding, language, and publication status.

Trial inclusion, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. Principal investigators were contacted for further information.

Only two randomised clinical trials were identified. One trial including 102 patients compared radiofrequency thermal ablation versus percutaneous ethanol injection for small hepatocellular carcinoma. Radiofrequency thermal ablation significantly increased recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27 to 0.85) but did not significantly influence overall survival (hazard ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.69). The rate of complications and side effects did not differ significantly between the two groups. Another trial with methodological flaws compared radiofrequency thermal ablation versus percutaneous microwave coagulation for 72 patients with 94 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions. The main outcome criterion was the rate of recurrences in both groups; no significant difference was detected. The rate of side effects did not differ significantly, but significantly more treatment sessions were needed with percutaneous microwave coagulation to achieve complete tumour ablation.

Radiofrequency thermal ablation seems a potentially promising technique for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma. However, more randomised clinical trials are needed.