Objective: To determine the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) method in treatment of hepatic metastases of non-colorectal cancers.
Material and Method: This retrospective cohort included 28 patients (17 women, 11 men) diagnosed with a total of 101 hepatic metastases of non-colorectal cancers. RFA under sonographic guidance was administered to 95 (94.1%) of lesions, while surgical resection was performed for 6 (5.9%) metastases. At the time of diagnosis, 10 (35.7%) of patients had a single lesion; whereas 18 (64.3%) patients had multiple lesions. Average number of ablated lesions was 2 (range, 1 to 6) and their average diameter was 2.4 cm (range, 0.9-5.2 cm). All patients routinely received chemoradiotherapy.
Results: Portal venous thrombosis and liver abscess were detected after RFA in 1 (3.5%) and 2 patients (7%), respectively. Mean duration of follow-up was 17 months (range, 1-51 months) and complete ablation was accomplished in 17 (76%) of our series. Thirteen sessions of repetitive RFA was performed in 7 cases with recurrent disease. During the follow-up period, widespread hepatic metastases and extrahepatic disease were encountered in 6 (21%) and 16 (57%) patients, respectively. Mortality occurred in 9 (32%) patients due to disseminated disease.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that RFA can be a promising therapeutic alternative in patients with hepatic metastasis of non-colorectal cancers, particularly breast cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. Number of lesions is the most important parameter likely to affect the overall and disease free rates of survival.
Key words: Liver, metastasis, non-colorectal cancer, radiofrequency ablation, treatment
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