title: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation therapy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the overall survival (OS) in patients without recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and in those with recurrence, treated with repeat-RFA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared OS between patients without recurrence (group A; n=150) and those with recurrence treated with repeat-RFA (group B; n=130).
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-, 3- and 5-year OS after initial RFA was 92.6%, 84.1% and 81.0%, respectively, in group A, and 99.0%, 84.1% and 61.8% in group B (p=0.296). There was no significant difference in OS between group A patients and patients with a single recurrent HCC (p=0.834). On multivariate analysis, serum albumin >3.5 g/dl and first HCC recurrence, comprising of two or three nodules were significant predicting factors of poorer OS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even if HCC recurs after initial RFA, survival comparable to that of patients without recurrence can be achieved in patients with a single recurrent tumor treated with repeat-RFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, 5-30 Fudegasaki-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0027, Japan. h-nishikawa@osaka-med.jrc.or.jp
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osaki
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Azusa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hatamaru
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016896:Treatment Outcome