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Review
. 2025 Jun 23;8(6):e70938.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70938. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Radiofrequency Ablation as an Alternative and Novel Procedure in the Intraepithelial Neoplasia Management: A Systematic Scoping Review

Hamid Reihani  1 , Sepehr Ebrahimi-Dehkordi  2 , Reza Moshfeghinia  1 , Amirhossein Ghiasi-Nejad  2 , Kiarash Noorizadeh  1 , Reza Heidari-Soureshjani  3
Affiliations
Review

Radiofrequency Ablation as an Alternative and Novel Procedure in the Intraepithelial Neoplasia Management: A Systematic Scoping Review

Hamid Reihani et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as a promising minimally invasive technique for eliminating intraepithelial neoplasia (IEN). We reviewed current evidence investigating the role of RFA in managing different types of IEN.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to assess the current evidence for the use of RFA in managing various types of IEN. A three-step search strategy was employed, involving keyword extraction, comprehensive database searching (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar), and reference screening.

Results: Thirty-two articles were included in this review, and most of the literature reported the features of RFA in the esophagus-related IENs (68.7%). RFA treatment was also found to effectively address gastric (9.3%), anal (12.5%), and cervical (9.3%) IENs. The general opinion on using RFA in Barrett's esophagus (BE) was its combination therapy with the endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) methods, which suggested better outcomes than RFA/EMR monotherapy. RFA was not preferred treatment for high-grade gastric dysplasia, but it was effective for the low-grade type.

Conclusion: As a minimally invasive, safe, and effective procedure, RFA holds promise for addressing lesions associated with BE, gastric, anal, and cervical IEN; However, the scope and gaps related to RFA therapy require to be explored precisely.

Keywords: Barrett's esophagus; carcinoma in situ; endoscopic mucosal resection; intraepithelial neoplasia; radiofrequency ablation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Data screening flowchart of our search strategy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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