CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation of adrenal malignant carcinoma: preliminary results

Microwave ablation has recently been developed as a safe and effective treatment for a variety of tumors. The authors evaluated the safety and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation of adrenal malignant tumors.

Nine patients between 41 and 83 years of age (average age, 54 years) with adrenal carcinoma (a total of 10 lesions) received CT-guided percutaneous water-cooled microwave ablation. The 9 cases included 1 primary adrenocortical carcinoma and 8 metastatic carcinomas (4 from lung cancer, 2 from hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 1 from left tibial osteosarcoma). Of the 8 metastatic cases, 7 were unilateral, and 1 was bilateral. All cases were pathologically confirmed by aspiration biopsy or postsurgical biopsy. The tumor diameters ranged from 2.1 cm to 6.1 cm (average, 3.8 cm). The average number of ablation sites was 1.5 sites (1-3 sites), and the average accumulated ablation time was 7.7 minutes (4-15 minutes). The procedures were performed using a cooled-shaft antenna.

The patients were followed for 3-37 months, with an average of 11.3 months. Nine of 10 lesions were completely necrotized after first treatment. The other lesion was completely necrotized after 2 treatments. One of the patients experienced hypertensive crisis during treatment. No patient experienced recurrent tumor at the treated site, and this lack of recurrence indicated effective local control. All patients had progression of metastatic disease at extra-adrenal sites.

CT-guided percutaneous water-cooled microwave ablation is a minimally invasive and effective method for the treatment of adrenal carcinoma.