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Updated: Jan 14, 2026
Thermal Ablation for the Treatment of Abdominal Tumors
Published on: March 7, 2011
Comparative study of bronchoscopic and CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for inoperable non-small cell lung
Feng Wang1, Baolu Yang1, Xinglu Zhang1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Patients with inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have limited treatment options. Microwave ablation (MWA) offers a promising alternative. This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic microwave ablation (PTMA) and bronchoscopic transbronchial microwave ablation (BTMA).
Methods:
A total of 126 patients with stage I NSCLC who were not candidates for surgery underwent PTMA or BTMA. Outcomes evaluated included complete ablation rate, local control rate (LCR), progression-free survival (PFS), technical success, procedure-related complications, and lesion size changes. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, nodule size, and nodule density.
Results:
The 6-month complete ablation rates were similar in the BTMA and PTMA groups (96.7% vs. 95.5%, P>0.99). At 12 months, LCR and PFS were also comparable (LCR: 95.0% vs. 95.5%; PFS: 91.7% vs. 90.9%; log-rank P=0.62). Subgroup analysis indicated a trend toward lower PFS in patients with larger nodules in both the PTMA group (P=0.03) and BTMA group (P=0.03). Technical success rates were high in both groups (97.0% for PTMA and 93.3% for BTMA). The PTMA group had a significantly higher incidence of chest pain (66.7% vs. 10.0%, P<0.001) and pneumothorax requiring thoracentesis (18.8% vs. 3.3%, P=0.006), while other complications showed no significant difference.
Conclusions:
Both PTMA and BTMA are effective treatment options for inoperable stage I NSCLC. BTMA offers similar efficacy with fewer complications and may be preferable in selected patients.
