MR-Guided Microwave Ablation for Patients with Cirrhosis Complicated by Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma

To assess the technical effectiveness and therapeutic outcomes of percutaneous magnetic resonance (MR)-guided microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of patients with cirrhosis complicated by small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

A single-center, retrospective analysis of consecutive cases involving 1.5T MR-guided MWA for HCC was performed. Fifty-three patients with cirrhosis, harboring 74 HCC lesions with mean diameter of 13.0 mm (SD ± 6.0; range, 6.0-29.0 mm; median, 10.0 mm), were included in this study. Follow-up MR imaging was performed postprocedurally to assess technical effectiveness, whereas local progression-free survival (LPFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated over the study period.

MR-guided MWA was performed with technical success in all cases with no severe adverse events occurring during the single-session treatment. The mean follow-up duration was 46.1 months (SD ± 17.9; median, 52 months). Local tumor progression was observed in 1 perivascular lesion, accounting for 1.9% of the cases. The mean recurrence-free survival was 31.1 months (SD ± 22.2), with a median of 24.5 months. LPFS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 98.1%. The OS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 96.2%, 84.9%, and 71.6%, respectively.

Percutaneous MR-guided MWA for small HCC in patients with cirrhosis demonstrated high technical success, accurate evaluation of ablation margins, and minimal local tumor progression after a single treatment session, resulting in favorable therapeutic outcomes.