title: Ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has gained a wide acceptance as a first-line therapeutic option for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). For very early-stage HCC, despite a higher rate of local tumour progression, RFA is considered as a viable alternative to surgical resection owing to its comparable long-term survival, reduced morbidity, and greater preservation of hepatic parenchyma. For HCCs larger than 2 cm, RFA can contribute to near-curative therapy when combined with chemoembolization. RFA can be used as part of a multimodal treatment strategy for more advanced or recurrent cases, and could be a useful bridging therapy for patients who are waiting for liver transplantation. However, the use of RFA is still limited in treating large tumours and some tumours in high-risk locations. To overcome its current limitations, other ablation techniques are being developed and it is important to validate the role of other techniques for enhancing performance of ablation therapy for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: youngskim@skku.edu.
authors.forename: Young-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Keun
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunchul
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rhim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min Woo
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Ablation therapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Multimodal treatment strategy; Radiofrequency ablation