title: A meta-analysis of clinical trials assessing the effect of radiofrequency ablation for breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive thermal ablation technique. We conducted a meta-analysis based on eligible studies to assess the efficacy and safety of RFA for treating patients with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Eligible studies were clinical trials that assessed RFA in patients with breast cancer. The outcomes included complete ablation rate, recurrence rate, excellent or good cosmetic rates, and complication rate. A random-effects or fixed-effects model was used to pool the estimate, according to the heterogeneity among the included studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen studies, with a total of 404 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that 89% (95% confidence interval: 85%-93%) of patients achieved a complete ablation after RFA treatment and 96% of patients reported a good-to-excellent cosmetic result. Although the pooled result for recurrence rate was 0, several cases of relapse were observed at different follow-up times. No RFA-related complications were recorded, except for skin burn with an incidence of 4% (95% confidence interval: 1%-6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis showed that RFA can be a promising alternative option for treating breast cancer since it produces a higher complete ablation rate with a low complication rate. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of RFA for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiayan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hongcheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zha
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xinchen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
keywords: breast cancer; meta-analysis; radiofrequency ablation