Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Application of Laparoscopic Hepatectomy Combined with Intraoperative Microwave Ablation in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis
Published on: March 3, 2023
Open surgical is superior to percutaneous access for radiofrequency ablation of hepatic metastases
Robert M Eisele1, Ulf Neumann, Peter Neuhaus
1Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, Charité Virchow-Clinic, Augustenburger Pl. 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. robert_m.eisele@charite.de
Purpose:
This study was designed to determine the best approach to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the liver.
Methods:
From a total of 41 procedures, 37 patients with 47 tumors were treated with RFA for metastatic disease. Indications included colorectal cancer (n=28, 68%), neuroendocrine tumors (n=2, 5%), gynecological primaries (n=4, 10%), pancreatic/duodenal cancer (n=2, 5%), and miscellaneous entities (n=5, 12%). Mean follow-up period was 18 (median, 18) months. All ways of approach to RFA were applied: percutaneous was chosen in 17 (41.5%), laparoscopic and hand-assisted laparoscopic in 5 (12.2%), and open surgical in 19 cases (46.3%), and in 10 cases, RFA was combined with hepatic resection. The average maximum tumor size was 2.3 (range, 0.8-6) cm, and the mean number of nodules treated per patient in a single session was 1.3 (range, 1-3).
Results:
Overall survival was 59.5% at 2 years, recurrence-free 2-year survival was 12.6%, local tumor recurrence rate was 34%, and overall recurrence was 75.6%. Local tumor recurrence and disease-free survival were significantly improved in the open surgically treated patients compared with the percutaneous treatment group (15.8% [n=3] vs. 58.8% [n=10] and 11.5 vs. 7.9 months, p<0.01 [chi2 test] and p<0.05 [log-rank test], respectively).
Conclusions:
Open surgical approach is superior to percutaneous access for RFA in metastatic hepatic disease.
