May spread from any part of the body to the liver. There the cancer cells may grow for months or years before they are detected. One of the most common sources of metastatic liver cancer is from tumours of the colon and rectum. About half of the patients with colon cancer will develop tumours in their liver at some time. About one in 10 of these patients will have a chance for a cure by having the liver tumours removed surgically.
The lung is the most common site for primary cancer worldwide, and smoking tobacco is the leading risk factor. The lung is also a common site of metastases for various malignancies. Metastases occur when a single tumour cell or clump of cells gain access to the blood stream or lymphatic system, travel to a new organ such as the lung, begin to multiply, and then regrow their vascular structure to obtain food.
By the time lung cancer becomes symptomatic, 85 percent of patients are incurable, often due to serious coexisting health conditions or poor respiratory function. Most patients who are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer are not surgically resectable at the time of diagnosis. For these patients, minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures can help reduce pain and improve quality of life.
Radiofrequency Ablation of lung cancer
RFA offers a nonsurgical, localised treatment that kills the tumour cells with heat, while sparing nearby healthy lung tissue. Thus, this treatment is much easier on the patient than systemic therapy. Radiofrequency energy can be given without affecting the patient's overall health and most people can resume their usual activities in a few days. It is a safe, minimally invasive tool for local pulmonary tumour control with negligible mortality, little morbidity, short hospital stay, and positive gain in quality of life.
In this procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumour. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency energy (similar to microwaves) is transmitted to the tip of the needle, where it produces heat in the tissues. The dead tumour tissue shrinks and slowly forms a scar. It is ideal for nonsurgical candidates and those with smaller tumours.
Depending on the size of the tumour, RFA can shrink or kill the tumour. Because it is a local treatment that does not harm much healthy tissue, the treatment can be repeated as often as needed to keep patients comfortable. It is a relatively safe procedure, with low complication rates.
By decreasing the size of a large mass, or treating new tumours in the lung as they arise, the pain and other debilitating symptoms caused by the tumours are often relieved. While the tumours themselves may not be painful, when they press against nerves or interfere with vital organs, they can cause pain. RFA is effective for small to medium-sized tumours and emerging new technologies should allow the treatment of larger cancers in the future. RFA is a new treatment that has shown early, promising results, but long-term studies have not yet been completed.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation work?
In this procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumour. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency energy (similar to microwaves) is transmitted to the tip of the needle, where it produces heat in the tissues. The radiofrequency energy delivered to the tumour heat and "burn" the cancerous cells. The dead tumour tissue shrinks and slowly forms a scar.
What are the benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation in treating liver cancer?
Although RFA is not a cure, there are several benefits of its use in the liver:
• Provide a local treatment option when surgery is not possible or too risky
• Usually does not require general anesthesia
• Is well tolerated-most patients can resume their normal routine the next day and may feel tired for a few days
• Can be repeated if necessary
• May be combined with other treatment options
• Shrink larger tumours to a size that makes it possible to remove them surgically or by transplantation.
• Relieve pain and other side effects to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for people with cancer.
• Treat small tumours in conjunction with surgery of a large mass elsewhere in the liver
• It has a short hospital stay
• It has few complications
What are the risks of Radiofrequency Ablation in treating liver cancer?
RFA is a very safe procedure, with complication rates on the order of two to three percent, and has been available since the late 1990s.
Most frequent complications are pain, fever, pleural effusion. Some cases of bleeding or infections are reported.
What are the risks of Radiofrequency Ablation in treating lung cancer?
RFA is a new treatment that has shown early, promising results, with low complication rates.
Most frequent complications are pain, fever, pleural effusion or pneumothorax. In some cases pneumothorax need to be drained by using a small cathether. Few cases of bleeding or infections are reported.
How should I prepare for Radiofrequency Ablation?
RFA is a relatively easy procedure. You have to be admitted in the hospital and to do some blood tests. In particular the coagulation tests must be in the range of normality.
What does the material for Radiofrequency Ablation look like?
In this procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumour. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency energy (similar to microwaves) is transmitted to the tip of the needle, where it produces heat in the tissues. The needles can be straight needles or expandable needles with some hooks deploying laterally from the tip in an umbrella or Christmas tree shape.
What will I experience during Radiofrequency Ablation?
In this procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumour. Local anesthesia, together with mild conscious sedation, will help you not to feel pain. You will possibly sleep during the procedure. At the end of the procedure, you will be awake and recover completely within a few hours.
What do I have to do after the procedure?
After the procedure, you will receive prescriptions for pain. Most RFA procedures can be done as a brief overnight stay. Once home, you may experience pain for one or two days and there may be a low grade fever. Most patients experience few significant side effects beyond these, but depending on the size of the tumour treated and its location, some patients may be fatigued or tired.
You should be able to resume all normal activities within a day or two, depending on how you are feeling. If any symptoms recur or become worse instead of improving, notify your doctor. You will get a follow-up CT or MRI scan, as well as blood tests, to determine how well the RFA worked. CT and MRI scans will continue every three months thereafter to determine how much the tumour ultimately shrunk. RFA frequently may be repeated to treat all lesions or all parts of a larger tumour. Your doctor will keep you apprised of the need for additional treatment.
