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. 2021 Aug 20;10(16):3712.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10163712.

Multielectrode Radiofrequency Ablation for Resectable Metachronous Liver Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer

Hou-Ying Cheng  1 , Kai-Wen Huang  1   2   3 , Jin-Tung Liang  3 , Been-Ren Lin  3 , John Huang  3 , Ji-Shiang Hung  3 , Chi-Ling Chen  2
Affiliations

Multielectrode Radiofrequency Ablation for Resectable Metachronous Liver Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer

Hou-Ying Cheng et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The outcome of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for liver metastases from colorectal cancer (CRLM) has been thought to be inferior to metastasectomy. However, the recent development of multielectrode RFA (multi-RFA) systems has made the ablation zone larger and more complete. Thus, we assessed the survival benefits of this modality in cases of metachronous CRLM. This retrospective study assessed patients diagnosed with resectable metachronous CRLM between 2013 and 2016; 132 patients were categorized by treatment for liver metastases: multi-RFA (n = 68), hepatectomy (n = 34), or systemic treatment only (n = 30). Therapeutic effectiveness, outcomes, and intervention-related complications were compared between groups. Median overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and intrahepatic recurrence-free survival (IHRFS) were 69.8, 85.2, and 59.7 months for the hepatectomy group; 53.4, 41.3, and 32.3 months for the multi-RFA group; and 19.1, 7.1, and 7.1 months for the systemic treatment group. No significant differences were observed between the multi-RFA and hepatectomy groups after a median follow-up of 59.8 months. This study demonstrated that multi-RFA and hepatectomy provide similar survival benefits for patients with resectable CRLM. Multi-RFA may represent a reliable treatment option for the management of resectable liver metastases.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; hepatectomy; liver metastasis; propensity-score matching; radiofrequency ablation; switching controller.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT flow diagram of the study participants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) multielectrode RFA can enlarge the ablation zone to 5 cm in diameter; (b) percutaneous multielectrode RFA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) The OS rates of the multi-RFA and hepatectomy groups were not significantly different and were superior to that of the systemic treatment only group (p < 0.001); (b) the RFS rates of the multi-RFA and hepatectomy groups were not significantly different and were superior to that of the systemic treatment only group (p = 0.007); (c) the IHRFS rates of the multi-RFA and hepatectomy groups were not significantly different and were superior to that of the systemic treatment only group (p = 0.003).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The OS rates of patients with or without extrahepatic metastasis were not significantly different (p = 0.134) and were superior to that of the systemic treatment only group (p < 0.001).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The OS rate (a), RFS rate (b), and IHRFS rate (c) of the multi-RFA and hepatectomy groups were still comparable after PSM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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