Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors in high-risk patients: 10 years' experience.
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) done to treat renal tumors in patients with high surgical risk or with the risk of developing multiple renal tumors in the medium term at our center over a period of 10 years.


METHODS
Between 2005 and 2015, we used RFA to treat 89 T1a or T1b tumors in 87 patients (mean age, 73.7±10.87 years) with high surgical risk. We excluded patients treated with radiofrequency and embolization or microwave ablation. The tumors treated were clear cell carcinomas (43.6%), papillary renal carcinomas (17.2%), chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (10.3%), cystic tumors (2.2%), and an angiomyolipoma (1.1%). The mean size of the tumors was 2.6cm. Computed tomography and/or ultrasonography were used to guide the procedure. We analyzed the relation between the efficacy of the procedure and patients' age, the type of needle, the source of the patients, the size and location of the tumor, and the number of sessions required to achieve ablation. We recorded all complications.


RESULTS
The RFA procedure was completed in all patients. The mean follow-up period was 32.1 months. The efficacy was 93.7%. A single session was sufficient in 87.5% of patients; 8% required two sessions and 4.5% required three sessions. The only factor associated with worse efficacy was the size of the tumor (p=0.03). The rate of complications was 5.6%.


CONCLUSIONS
RFA is efficacious and safe, with results comparable to those reported in the literature.
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: alguersu@gmail.com.
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Alguersuari
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España.
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Mateos
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España.
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Falcó
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España.
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Criado
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España.
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Fortuño
Servicio de Radiología Intervencionista, C.S.H.U. Parc Taulí - UDIAT C.D, Sabadell, Barcelona, España.
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Guitart
D000368:Aged; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors
Ablación renal; Ablative techniques; Cancer; Cáncer; Neoplasias renales; Renal ablation; Renal tumors; Técnicas ablativas