BACKGROUND Guidelines have reported that although microwave ablation (MWA) has potential advantages over radiofrequency ablation (RFA), superiority in efficacy and safety remain unclear. Aim of the study is to compare MWA with RFA in the treatment of liver cancer. METHODS Meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines for studies published from 2010 onwards. A random-effects model was used for the meta-analyses. Complete ablation (CA), local tumor progression (LTP), intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR), and complications were analyzed. RESULTS Four randomized trials and 11 observational studies with a total of 2,169 patients met the inclusion criteria. Although overall analysis showed no significant difference in LTP between MWA and RFA, subgroup analysis including randomized trials for patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) demonstrated statistically decreased rates of LTP in favor of MWA (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.18-0.92; p = 0.03). No significant differences were found between the two procedures in CA, IDR, complications, and tumor diameter less or larger than 3 cm. CONCLUSIONS MWA showed promising results and demonstrated better oncological outcomes in terms of LTP compared to RFA in patients with HCC. MWA can be utilized as the ablation method of choice in patients with HCC.

中文翻译：

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微波消融与射频消融治疗肝癌的比较：系统评价和荟萃分析。

背景指南报道，尽管微波消融术 (MWA) 相对于射频消融术 (RFA) 具有潜在优势，但疗效和安全性方面的优势仍不清楚。该研究的目的是比较 MWA 与 RFA 治疗肝癌的效果。方法 根据 2010 年以后发表的研究的 PRISMA 指南进行荟萃分析。荟萃分析使用随机效应模型。分析了完全消融 (CA)、局部肿瘤进展 (LTP)、肝内远处复发 (IDR) 和并发症。结果 共有 2,169 名患者的四项随机试验和 11 项观察性研究符合纳入标准。虽然总体分析显示 MWA 和 RFA 之间的 LTP 没有显着差异，包括针对肝细胞癌 (HCC) 患者的随机试验在内的亚组分析表明，LTP 率在统计学上有所降低，而 MWA 更有利（OR，0.40；95% CI，0.18-0.92；p = 0.03）。两种手术在 CA、IDR、并发症和肿瘤直径小于或大于 3 cm 方面没有发现显着差异。结论 与 HCC 患者的 RFA 相比，MWA 显示出有希望的结果，并且在 LTP 方面表现出更好的肿瘤学结果。MWA 可作为 HCC 患者的首选消融方法。结论 与 HCC 患者的 RFA 相比，MWA 显示出有希望的结果，并且在 LTP 方面表现出更好的肿瘤学结果。MWA 可作为 HCC 患者的首选消融方法。结论 与 HCC 患者的 RFA 相比，MWA 显示出有希望的结果，并且在 LTP 方面表现出更好的肿瘤学结果。MWA 可作为 HCC 患者的首选消融方法。