title: Image-guided ablation of primary liver and renal tumours.
abstract: Image-guided ablation (IGA) techniques have evolved considerably over the past 20 years and are increasingly used to definitively treat small primary cancers of the liver and kidney. IGA is recommended by most guidelines as the best therapeutic choice for patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-defined as either a single tumour smaller than 5 cm or up to three nodules smaller than 3 cm-when surgical options are precluded, and has potential as first-line therapy, in lieu of surgery, for patients with very early stage tumours smaller than 2 cm. With regard to renal cell carcinoma, despite the absence of any randomized trial comparing the outcomes of IGA with those of standard partial nephrectomy, a growing amount of data demonstrate robust oncological outcomes for this minimally invasive approach and testify to its potential as a standard-of-care treatment. Herein, we review the various ablation techniques, the supporting evidence, and clinical application of IGA in the treatment of primary liver and kidney cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospitals of Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Intervention, Pisa University Hospital and School of Medicine, Building No. 29, 2nd Floor, Via Paradisa 2, IT-56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lencioni
mesh_terms: D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*