Radiofrequency Ablation for Recurrent Pleural Mesothelioma.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Interventional Radiology
• Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

• Recurrent pleural mesothelioma (PM) presents a significant challenge despite multimodal therapy.
• Investigating novel therapeutic options for recurrent PM is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively evaluate the safety and clinical benefit of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for recurrent PM.
• To assess local tumor control, complications, and survival outcomes following RFA in patients with recurrent PM.

Main Methods:

• CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed on 14 consecutive patients with recurrent PM.
• Outcomes including local progression, distant metastases, complications, and overall survival were analyzed.
• Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate local progression and overall survival rates.

Main Results:

• Technical success was achieved in all RFA sessions, with 1- and 2-year local progression rates of 10.6%.
• Overall survival rates were 100% at 1 year, 100% at 3 years, and 60% at 5 years.
• Complications were infrequent and generally minor, with major and minor complications occurring in 4.3% of patients.

Conclusions:

• Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is technically feasible and well-tolerated for recurrent PM.
• RFA demonstrated encouraging local control and survival outcomes, suggesting its potential as a complementary therapy.
• Further investigation into RFA as part of multimodal treatment strategies for recurrent PM is warranted.