Efficacy and clinical outcome of radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma: A single-center retrospective sStudy

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive locoregional therapies have emerged as an important treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a widely used intervention inducing coagulative necrosis by delivering a high-frequency alternating current. The role of RFA in the management of early-stage HCC requires clinical evaluation regarding long-term outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of RFA in a selected HCC patient population.

Methodology: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted at a tertiary care cancer hospital over a duration of six years. A total of 29 patients diagnosed with HCC with a single lesion ≤ 3cm in diameter, or up to three lesions each ≤ 3cm, treated with RFA as the primary treatment, were included. Data were retrieved from the hospital medical records and included demographic characteristics, tumor features, and laboratory parameters.  RFAs for all patients were performed using the Covedian ClosureFast^TM RFA system. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was performed to calculate the overall survival probability of the participants.

Results: The local recurrence and new lesion formation of HCC were present in 27.6% of the patients. The 27.6% of the patients had mortality during the follow-up time period, with an overall survival duration of 5.28 years. Survival probability at 1 year was 100%, at 3 years was 96.6%, and at 5 years was 72.4%.

Conclusion: RFA is a safe and effective treatment modality for early-stage HCC, offering favourable survival outcomes and acceptable recurrence rates. It provides a valuable curative option for small lesion HCC patients.