Open AccessPercutaneous electrochemotherapy in primary and secondary liver malignancies – local tumor control and impact on overall survival
Author(s) -
Hannah Spallek,
P Bischoff,
Willi Zhou,
Francesca De Terlizzi,
Fabian Jakob,
Attila Kovács
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
radiology and oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.707
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1581-3207
pISSN - 1318-2099
DOI - 10.2478/raon-2022-0003
Subject(s) - medicine , electrochemotherapy , percutaneous , liver cancer , colorectal cancer , radiofrequency ablation , stage (stratigraphy) , cancer , tumor progression , radiology , surgery , oncology , ablation , chemotherapy , bleomycin , paleontology , biology
Background Local nonsurgical tumor ablation currently represents a further option for the treatment of patients with liver tumors or metastases. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a welcome addition to the portfolio of local therapies. A retrospective analysis of patients with liver tumors or metastases treated with ECT is reported. Attention is given to the safety and efficacy of the treatment over time. Patients and methods Eighteen consecutive patients were recruited with measurable liver tumors of different histopatologic origins, mainly colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and hepatocellular cancer. They were treated with percutaneous ECT following the standard operating procedures (SOP) for ECT under general anaesthesia and muscle relaxation. Treatment planning was performed based on MRI preoperative images. The follow-up assessment included contrast-enhanced MR within at least 1–3 months after treatment and then after 5, 7, 9, 12, and 18 months until progression of the disease or death. Results Only mild or moderate side effects were observed after ECT. The objective response rate was 85.7% (complete response 61.9%, partial 23.8%), the mean progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.0 ± 8.2 months, and the overall survival (OS) was 11.3 ± 8.6 months. ECT performed best (PFS and OS) in lesions within 3 and 6 cm diameters (p = 0.0242, p = 0.0297) . The effectiveness of ECT was independent of the localization of the lesions: distant, close or adjacent to vital structures. Progression-free survival and overall survival were independent of the primary histology considered. Conclusions Electrochemotherapy provides an effective valuable option for the treatment of unresectable liver metastases not amenable to other ablative techniques.