RF Ablation Effective in Treating Lung Cancer

The results of a clinical study have confirmed that radiofrequency (RF) ablation appears to be effective in treating cancerous lung tumors in patients who are not surgical candidates.

The study involved 62 patients with primary lung cancer or lung metastases who were not surgical candidates. The patients were treated with the RF ablation system of Rita Medical Systems, Inc. (Mountain View, CA, USA). This system allows doctors to deliver monitored and controlled levels of RF energy into the cancerous tissue through an array of thin electrodes, which heat and destroy the targeted tissue. In many cases, this minimally invasive procedure can be performed using only a local anesthetic and intravenous sedation.

Following treatment, the patients' progress was assessed over a one-year period using computed tomography (CT) imaging. For 25 patients in the study who were followed for at least six months, 93% of tumors had stabilized or decreased in size. Over this period, these tumors would typically be expected to at least double in size, says Rita Medical. No major complications were reported.

"These results are very impressive. The data presented here clearly show that Rita can offer a new approach in the treatment of lung cancer for the majority of patients who cannot have surgery,” said Riccardo Lencioni, M.D., professor of diagnostic and interventional radiology at the University of Pisa (Italy), who presented the study results at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, IL (USA).




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