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RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION OF LUNG TUMOURS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Author(s) -
Zhu J. C.,
Yan T. D.,
Black D.,
Morris D. L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2007.04115_18.x
Subject(s) - medicine , radiofrequency ablation , lung , ablation , inclusion and exclusion criteria , surgery , overall survival , radiology , pathology , alternative medicine
Purpose This systematic review aims to assess the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation(RFA) for pulmonary malignancies. Methodology Searches for relevant literature on RFA for lung tumours prior to Nov 2006 were performed in six electronic databases. Application of predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality assessment and data extraction were independently performed for all retrieved studies. Results were synthesized through tabulation and combined with a narrative review. Results Sixteen relevant studies on lung RFA with more than 10 patients that reported rates of morbidity, mortality, complete tumour ablation, local recurrence or survival were identified for this review. All included studies were level 4 evidence case series with median follow‐up periods ranging from 9–24 months. The overall post‐procedural morbidity rates ranged from 15–76% and mortality rates ranged from 0–5%. The most common complications were pneumothoraces occurring at 9–61 % of procedures. The rates of complete tumour necrosis achieved by RFA ranged from 38–98% while the rates of local recurrence from previously ablated lesions ranged from 2–38%. The overall median progression free interval ranged from 13 to 26 months. The overall median survival from the time of lung RFA, ranged from 8.6–33 months, with 1, 2 and 3 year survival of 71–85%, 55–65% and 38–46%, respectively. Conclusion The available evidence for radiofrequency ablation of primary and metastatic lung tumours is very limited. Surgical resection should remain the standard of care when feasible. Radiofrequency ablation, however, is safe and appears to have a promising role in the treatment of unresectable lung tumours.