title: Comparative survival analysis in patients with pulmonary metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiofrequency ablation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate technical efficacy and the impact of CT-guided pulmonary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on survival in patients with pulmonary metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2000 and 2009, 480 patients were pathologically or clinically confirmed pulmonary metastases from NPC. And ten included patients of them had a total of 23 pulmonary metastases treated with percutaneous RFA under the real-time CT fluoroscopy. Safety, local tumor progression, and survival were evaluated in our institutions. Matched-pair survival was compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 25 ablations were performed to 23 pulmonary metastases in 13 RFA sessions. Pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement developed in 3 of 13 (23.1%) RFA sessions. The median metastatic overall survival was 36.1 months for all the 480 NPC patients with pulmonary metastases. Furthermore, matched-pair analysis demonstrated patients with RFA treatment had a greater metastatic overall survival than patients without RFA treatment (77.1 months vs 32.4 months, log-rank test, p=0.009). There were no statistically significant differences in the survival probability of patients with RFA treatment (n=10) and surgical resection of pulmonary metastases (n=27) (log-rank test, p=0.75).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT-guided pulmonary RFA is safe and offers a treatment alternative for local tumor control, providing promising survival in selected patients with pulmonary metastases from NPC.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, The Second People's Hospital of Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Chang-chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Pei-hong
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jing-rui
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zi-lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jian-peng
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000401:mortality*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult