[Radiofrequency ablation for liver metastases from colorectal cancer after systemic chemotherapy]

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of radiofrequency ablation(RFA)for liver metastases from colorectal cancer after chemotherapy.

From January 2006 to June 2012, 27 tumors in 17 patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer were treated using RFA after systemic chemotherapy.

The median tumor diameter after chemotherapy was 12(range: 3-35)mm, and the mean number of tumors was 1.6(range: 1-4).The median time without local recurrence was 21.3(range: 2.2-61.9)months, and the median overall survival time was 38.0(range: 5.9-66.3)months. One patient had a complication(liver abscess).Of the 27 tumors, 9 were larger than 20 mm in diameter, and 4 of these 9 tumors showed local recurrence after RFA. In tumors smaller than 20 mm in diameter, only 1 showed local recurrence. The local recurrence rate was significantly higher for tumors larger than 20 mm than for tumors smaller than 20 mm(44.4% vs 5.6%,p=0.030).

RFA was an effective and safe method for treating liver metastases from colorectal cancer, especially for tumors smaller than 20 mm and in cases of less than 3 tumors after systemic chemotherapy.