title: Local, intrahepatic, and systemic recurrence patterns after radiofrequency ablation of hepatic malignancies.
abstract: The objective of this study was to describe the recurrence patterns in patients with unresectable hepatic malignancies treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). As RFA is applied more widely to patients with hepatic tumors, a better understanding of the biologic behavior of these tumors and the risk of recurrence, both in the liver and systemically, is needed. A multidisciplinary team evaluated patients referred for RFA and followed them prospectively to assess local, intrahepatic, and extrahepatic disease recurrence and complication rates. Forty-five patients with 143 lesions and a minimum follow-up of 6 months (median 19.5 months) were treated. Overall, 7.7% of treated lesions had local recurrence. New intrahepatic disease was seen in 49% of patients, and 24% had evidence of new systemic tumor progression. Patients with colorectal metastatic lesions > or =4 cm at the time of the first RFA were more likely to present with local recurrence (P = 0.048). Complications occurred in 27% of patients. Although RFA has a satisfactory local failure rate and safety profile, the patient population being treated is at high risk of developing new disease. Multimodality adjuvant therapy will be necessary to realize the full potential of hepatic malignancy control with RFA.
authors: Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors: Kambiz
authors: K
authors: Kosari
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Gomes
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Hunter
authors: Donavan J
authors: DJ
authors: Hess
authors: Edward
authors: E
authors: Greeno
authors: Timothy D
authors: TD
authors: Sielaff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed