title: Factors associated with short-term local recurrence of liver cancer after percutaneous ablation using irreversible electroporation: a prospective single-center study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the risk factors associated with short-term local recurrence of malignant liver lesions after irreversible electroporation (IRE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine consecutive patients (79 malignant liver lesions) were treated with IRE, of whom 14 were excluded from the analysis (including 12 without 6 mo of follow-up and two with incomplete ablation). The remaining 25 patients (aged 59.4 y ± 11.2) had 48 malignant liver lesions, including 22 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), six cholangiocellular carcinomas, and 20 metastatic liver cancers. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the associations of risk factors with early recurrence. The characteristics of patients, lesions, and IRE procedures were assessed by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen of the 48 treated lesions (29.2%) showed early local recurrence after 6 months. Tumor volume (< 5 cm(3) vs ≥ 5 cm(3); P = .022) and underlying disease type (HCC, cholangiocellular carcinoma, or metastatic disease; P = .023) were independently associated with early local recurrence. However, distances to the surrounding portal veins (< 0.5 cm vs ≥ 0.5 cm; P = .810), hepatic veins (P = .170), hepatic arteries (P = .761), and bile ducts (P = .226) were not significantly associated with local recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because short distances to the surrounding vessels were not associated with early local recurrence, percutaneous IRE might provide an alternative treatment option for perivascular tumors. However, patients with larger tumor volumes appeared to be poor candidates for percutaneous IRE. Regarding the different types of treated lesions, patients with HCC had significantly better outcomes.
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.. Electronic address: christoph.niessen@ukr.de.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Niessen
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Juliane
authors: J
authors: Igl
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Benedikt
authors: B
authors: Pregler
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Lukas
authors: L
authors: Beyer
authors: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Ekaterina
authors: E
authors: Noeva
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Dollinger
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Andreas G
authors: AG
authors: Schreyer
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Ernst M
authors: EM
authors: Jung
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Stroszczynski
authors: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors: Philipp
authors: P
authors: Wiggermann
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000368:Aged; D018274:Electroporation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies