Ablation for Benign Liver Tumors: Current Concepts and Limitations

Area of Science:

• Hepatobiliary Medicine
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Oncology

Background:

• Percutaneous ablation is a curative, minimally invasive treatment for liver tumors, achieving complete tumor necrosis with low complication rates.
• Thermal ablation, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA), is effective for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with up to 3 lesions (≤3 cm) and preserved liver function.
• Outcomes of thermal ablation are comparable to surgical resection for HCC.
• Benign liver tumors may require treatment due to symptoms or enlargement, and ablation offers a less burdensome alternative to surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements, concepts, and limitations of ablation-based treatments for benign liver tumors.
• To highlight ablation as a preferred treatment option for symptomatic or enlarging benign liver tumors.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on percutaneous ablation techniques for liver tumors.
• Focus on thermal ablation methods (RFA and MWA).
• Discussion of treatment indications, efficacy, and patient outcomes.

Main Results:

• Percutaneous ablation demonstrates efficacy in inducing complete tumor necrosis for both malignant and benign liver lesions.
• Thermal ablation provides comparable outcomes to surgical resection for early-stage HCC.
• Ablation is a suitable, low-burden treatment for benign liver tumors requiring intervention.

Conclusions:

• Percutaneous thermal ablation is a safe and effective treatment modality for select liver tumors.
• Ablation represents a valuable, less invasive therapeutic option for benign liver tumors compared to surgical resection.