Needle track seeding following biopsy of liver lesions in the diagnosis of hepatocellular cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Hepatobiliary Medicine
• Interventional Radiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Needle biopsy of liver lesions can guide treatment when imaging is unclear.
• However, general recommendations against it exist due to the risk of tumor spread.
• The exact incidence of needle track seeding after liver lesion biopsy is not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the incidence of needle tract tumor seeding after liver cancer biopsy.
• To quantify the risk of tumor dissemination following hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biopsy.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies published before March 2007.
• Included studies reported on needle tract seeding following biopsy of suspicious liver lesions, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
• Data on biopsy type, diagnosis, seeding incidence, duration, follow-up, and outcomes were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Eight studies involving HCC biopsy were included in the meta-analysis.
• The pooled incidence of needle tract seeding was 2.7% (95% CI 1.8% to 4.0%) per patient.
• The incidence was 0.9% per year, with no significant heterogeneity observed between studies.

Conclusions:

• The overall incidence of needle tract tumor seeding following hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biopsy is 2.7%.
• The annual incidence of seeding is 0.9% per year.
• This data quantifies a known but previously ill-defined risk associated with liver cancer biopsy.