Study of survival in patients with malignant lung lesions treated with radiofrequency

To report on the survival of a series of patients with primary and metastatic lung tumours treated with radiofrequency (RF). Four years ago we published our preliminary experience with the use of this technique.

For a period of 8 years we have treated 59 patients (by means of a total of 70 procedures) with primary or metastatic pulmonary neoplastic lesions, which fulfilled inclusion criteria to perform the technique. They were in all cases non-surgical lesions that had been either previously treated or not. The technique was performed in the radiology suite, under conscious analgo-sedation. We treated primary pulmonary lesions, neoplastic recurrences, or metastases with curative or palliative intention (pain management).

Current global survival rate is 19 patients (32 %) with a mean of 26.61 ± 3.17 months (range: 20.38 ± 32.83) and a median of 16.00 ± 3.57 (range: 8.99-23.00). If we establish the difference between primary and metastatic tumours, mean survival is 27.62 ± 4.12 months in primary tumours (median: 16.00) vs. 24.65 ± 4.47 months in metastatic tumours (median: 16.00). When we studied the survival in those cases with a curative intent, mean survival in primary tumours was 30.97 ± 4.57 months (median: 21.00) vs. 25.14 ± 4.68 (median: 16.00) months in metastatic tumours.

RF ablation of lung lesions is a minimally invasive procedure that is useful in primary tumours (especially in stage I) and metastatic ones. RF has proven its usefulness in the multidisciplinary treatment of this pathology due to the low incidence of serious complications and survival obtained, considering that patients are elderly with significant comorbidity.