[Microwave surgery in the treatment of hepatic cancer]

Microwave surgery was used to treat 50 patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) (hepatectomy for 46 patients and in situ coagulation of tumor for 4 patients with unresectable PLC). For hepatectomy, the needle electrode was inserted into the liver parenchyma repeatedly to coagulate the liver tissue at 1 cm interval along the predetermined incision line. For unresectable PLC, the needle electrode was directly inserted into PLC to coagulate the cancer tissue in situ. The average amounts of blood loss and blood transfusion for 46 hepatectomies was 215 +/- 189ml and 274 +/- 261ml respectively. It was significantly different from that observed in 46 matched conventional hepatectomies (P < 0.01). There were no operative mortality and complications such as delayed bleeding, bile leakage, and intraabdominal infection. These results indicate that microwave surgery can be utilized safely and effectively in the field of liver surgery.