Background

Microwave (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation are the commonly used local ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Studies comparing both techniques are scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of MWA versus RFA as a treatment for HCC.

Methods

Patients with HCC who were suitable for local ablation were randomized into MWA or RFA. All patients were followed up regularly with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) performed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after ablation. Both patients and the radiologists who interpreted the post-procedure CT scans were blinded to the treatment allocation. Treatment-related morbidity, overall and disease-free survivals were analyzed.

Results

A total of 93 patients were recruited. Among them, 47 and 46 patients were randomized to MWA and RFA respectively. Patients in two groups were comparable in baseline demographics and tumor characteristics. With a median follow-up of around 30 months, there were no significant difference in the treatment-related morbidity, overall and disease-free survivals. MWA had a significantly shorter overall ablation time when compared with RFA (12 min vs 24 min, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

MWA is no different to RFA with respect to completeness of ablation and survivals. It is, however, as safe and effective as RFA in treating small HCC.

中文翻译：

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微波与射频消融治疗肝细胞癌的前瞻性双盲随机对照试验（McRFA 试验）。

背景

微波（MWA）和射频消融是肝细胞癌（HCC）常用的局部消融术。比较这两种技术的研究很少。本研究的目的是比较 MWA 与 RFA 治疗 HCC 的疗效。

方法

适合局部消融的 HCC 患者随机分为 MWA 或 RFA。所有患者均在消融后 1、3、6 和 12 个月进行定期对比增强计算机断层扫描 (CT) 随访。解释术后 CT 扫描的患者和放射科医师都不知道治疗分配。分析了治疗相关的发病率、总体和无病生存率。

结果

共招募了 93 名患者。其中，47 名和 46 名患者分别随机接受 MWA 和 RFA。两组患者在基线人口统计学和肿瘤特征方面具有可比性。中位随访时间约为 30 个月，治疗相关的发病率、总生存率和无病生存率没​​有显着差异。与 RFA 相比，MWA 的整体消融时间明显更短（12 分钟 vs 24 分钟，p  < 0.001）。

结论

MWA 与 RFA 在消融的完整性和存活率方面没有什么不同。然而，它在治疗小型 HCC 方面与 RFA 一样安全有效。