Current status of imaging-guided percutaneous ablation of breast cancer

The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the various techniques used for percutaneous ablation of breast cancer, their preliminary results, and their limitations. The techniques include thermotherapy (radiofrequency ablation, laser irradiation, microwave irradiation, and insonation with high-intensity focused ultrasound waves), cryotherapy, and irreversible electroporation.

The techniques used for percutaneous ablation of breast cancer raise many questions and issues that must be addressed before percutaneous ablation can be adopted for the treatment of early breast cancer.