RFA Safe for Treating Liver Tumors

A study has found radiofrequency ablation (RFA) a safe and effective treatment for eradicating liver tumors in contact with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The study analyzed 41 patients with a liver tumor abutting the GI tract. After RFA ablation was performed on these patients, 34 of the 41 tumors were found to be eradicated, with no bowel-related complications. Previously, investigators have warned that RFA might cause injuries when tumors are touching the GI tract. The study was conducted by researchers at the Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea).

In a second study, conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA), researchers found that injecting alcohol into a liver tumor immediately prior to RFA makes the procedure more effective, in that more of the tumor is destroyed, so patients can undergo fewer RFA treatments. They found that the combination is also effective in other parts of the body.

"We have used the combination therapy successfully in other parts of the body, such as with bone and soft-tissue tumors. However, the combination must be used carefully in areas where alcohol leakage could be deleterious, such as in the lung where normal tissue may be affected,” said lead author Sridhar Shankar, M.D., of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester (USA). Both studies were published in the November 2004 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.