Cancer Treatment
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is a conventional cancer treatment that sends electrical energy to liver tumors through a special catheter. Once heated, the cancer cells usually die within 15 minutes. Using RFA, physicians are able to treat localized liver cancer that hasn't responded to chemotherapy or can't be removed safely, or where previous surgeries have been performed and there's a recurrence of the cancer.
The procedure was approved by the FDA in 1996 for use in the treatment of liver cancer as well as tumors that have spread to the liver from a separate primary site, such as the breast, colon or lung.
RFA may be used if you have liver tumors less than 5 centimeters in surface area. It may be used to treat multiple lesions during the course of your treatment. It can either be applied during open surgical procedure or percutaneously (through the skin), and is positioned within the center of the tumor(s) using ultrasound guidance.
In some cases this technique may provide more targeted liver cancer treatment with fewer side effects and shorter hospital stays compared with standard cancer therapies.
While these procedures may be beneficial for some people, each carries some risks, including toxicity, bleeding complications, difficulty of application, and/or significant expense. RFA may offer a low-risk alternative to these procedures.
