A prospective clinical trial of radiofrequency ablation for pulmonary metastases

Pulmonary oligometastases can be treated by local treatment options, such as resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and radiotherapy, in selected patients. In the present study, 67 patients with 115 pulmonary metastases were treated, and all the lesions were treated by RFA and followed with a computed tomography scan. The local control, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment-related toxicity were observed. Median follow-up duration after the initial RFA was 24 months (range, 3-39 months). The median PFS from RFA was 14 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 11.6-16.4]. The 6-, 12- and 18-month PFS rates were 82.1, 55.7 and 27.5%, respectively. The median OS rate from RFA was 24 months (95% CI, 18.2-29.8). The 1-, 2- and 3-year OS rates were 83.6, 46.3 and 14.3%, respectively. Primary tumor was significantly correlated to PFS and OS on multivariate analysis, and other variates showed no significance. Therefore, RFA is safe for patient treatment and can be considered as a promising treatment option for patients with pulmonary metastases.