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Review
. 2016 Nov 28;22(44):9661-9673.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i44.9661.

Percutaneous ablation of pancreatic cancer

Mirko D'Onofrio  1 , Valentina Ciaravino  1 , Riccardo De Robertis  1 , Emilio Barbi  1 , Roberto Salvia  1 , Roberto Girelli  1 , Salvatore Paiella  1 , Camilla Gasparini  1 , Nicolò Cardobi  1 , Claudio Bassi  1
Affiliations
Review

Percutaneous ablation of pancreatic cancer

Mirko D'Onofrio et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive tumor with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Prognosis and treatment depend on whether the tumor is resectable or not, which mostly depends on how quickly the diagnosis is made. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be both used in cases of non-resectable pancreatic cancer. In cases of pancreatic neoplasm that is locally advanced, non-resectable, but non-metastatic, it is possible to apply percutaneous treatments that are able to induce tumor cytoreduction. The aim of this article will be to describe the multiple currently available treatment techniques (radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation, and irreversible electroporation), their results, and their possible complications, with the aid of a literature review.

Keywords: Ablation treatment; Cryoablation; Irreversible electroporation; Microwave ablation; Pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Pancreatic cancer; Percutaneous treatment; Radiofrequency ablation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest for any of the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Needle with expandable electrodes. Electrodes can be opened within the lesion from the top (A) or from the back (B) of the needle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Needle with single electrode. Single electrode of the needle within the lesion.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Radiofrequency ablation of pancreatic cancer. Computed tomography (CT) scan in the portal phase (A, B) shows the markedly hypodense necrotic avascular area modelled within the tumor. CT scan in the late phase (C) shows the ablated area as being better delineated from the enhanced adjacent tissue.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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