Radiofrequency ablation of primary and metastatic liver tumors: a critical review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for hepatic tumors; however, for various reasons, the vast majority of patients are not operative candidates. As a result, several local ablative therapies have emerged as alternatives to resection or as adjuncts in total oncologic care. Presently, the most widely employed liver-directed treatment is radiofrequency thermal ablation.


METHODS
To define the current status of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the authors reviewed available safety and efficacy data from select studies on RFA. A MEDLINE search was performed using the keywords "tumor type" + "radiofrequency ablation" + "survival." Only those studies containing long-term survival data on greater than 50 patients were included in this analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Although RFA has been readily adopted into treatment paradigms, more rigorous trials are needed to solidify its place in the armamentarium of therapeutic strategies for hepatic malignancy.
Garrean
Sean
S
Department of Surgery, Hepatobiliary and Oncologic Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Hering
Justin
J
Saied
Abdul
A
Helton
W Scott
WS
Espat
N Joseph
NJ
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007564:Japan; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States