Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term follow-up

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is among the three most common causes of cancer death [ 1 x [1] Yamashiki, N., Yoshida, H., Tateishi, R., Shiina, S., Teratani, T., and Yoshida, H. Recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma has an increased risk of subsequent recurrence after curative treatment. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007; 22: 2155–2160 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (12) | Google Scholar See all References , 2 x [2] Parkin, D.M., Bray, F., Ferlay, J., and Pisani, P. Global cancer statistics, 2002. CA Cancer J Clin. 2005; 55: 74–108 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (15518) | Google Scholar See all References , 3 x [3] Shiratori, Y., Yoshida, H., and Omata, M. Management of hepatocellular carcinoma: advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2001; 1: 277–290 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (21) | Google Scholar See all References , 4 x [4] Lam, V.W., Ng, K.K., Chok, K.S., Cheung, T.T., Yuen, J., and Tung, H. Incomplete ablation after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma: analysis of risk factors and prognostic factors. Ann Surg Oncol. 2007; Google Scholar See all References ]. Although traditionally HCC was more prevalent in eastern societies, it has witnessed an expontenial growth in the USA. The most common etiology remains viral hepatitis B or C and alcoholic liver disease [ 5 x [5] Takahashi, S., Kudo, M., Chung, H., Inoue, T., Ishikawa, E., and Kitai, S. Initial treatment response is essential to improve survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent curative radiofrequency ablation therapy. Oncology. 2007; 72: 98–103 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (61) | Google Scholar See all References ] [5] . Current estimates of the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the USA are 2.7 million, with approximately 6000 new cases of HCC diagnosed per year [ 6 x [6] Berber, E., Herceg, N.L., Casto, K.J., and Siperstein, A.E. Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tumors: prospective clinical evaluation of ablation size comparing two treatment algorithms. Surg Endosc. 2004; 18: 390–396 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (33) | Google Scholar See all References ] [6] . Proven treatment modalities with good long-term survival and low recurrence rates are liver transplantation and surgical resection. However, only a small percentage of patients are candidates for these therapies (10–25%) [ 7 x [7] Kuehl, H., Stattaus, J., Hertel, S., Hunold, P., Kaiser, G., and Bockisch, A. Mid-term outcome of positron emission tomography/computed tomography-assisted radiofrequency ablation in primary and secondary liver tumours-a single-centre experience. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2007; PubMed | Google Scholar See all References , 8 x [8] Scheele, J., Stang, R., Altendorf-Hofmann, A., and Paul, M. Resection of colorectal liver metastases. World J Surg. 1995; 19: 59–71 Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (1276) | Google Scholar See all References ].