title: Magnetic resonance-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for liver metastases of breast cancer in a case.
abstract: Real-time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging enables the application of percutaneous microwave coagulation for high-risk patients with metastatic liver tumours. The tumours, local vessels and bile ducts can be observed clearly in three-dimensional sections and a sufficient surgical margin can be confirmed on the MR image even during the coagulation procedure. MR-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy is effective for treatment of not only primary liver tumours but also metastatic breast cancers in the liver, which are not diffuse but discrete, and difficult to treat with only chemo-and endocrine therapy. We report a 44-year-old Japanese woman who underwent modified radical mastectomy for right breast cancer (T1c N0 M0 Stage I). Three years after the operation, she developed two metastatic liver tumours and was treated by MR-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation, achieving a complete response (CR) without any recurrence for 15 months as of the present. The most beneficial aspect of MR-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation is its safety. It is only minimally invasive and can be repeated. This therapy, therefore promises to prolong the disease free period. Additional clinical trials will be valuable to delineate the effectiveness and safety of MR-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for controlling the liver metastases of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurumi
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanasawa
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome