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Published in: Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 1/2008

01-01-2008 | grassi prize finalist

Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Surgical Resection for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhosis

Authors: Alfredo Guglielmi, Andrea Ruzzenente, Alessandro Valdegamberi, Silvia Pachera, Tommaso Campagnaro, Mirko D’Onofrio, Enrico Martone, Paola Nicoli, Calogero Iacono

Published in: Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery | Issue 1/2008

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Abstract

Background and Aims

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) demonstrated good results for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients; it is still not clear whether the overall survival and disease-free survival after RFA are comparable with surgical resection. The aims of this study are to compare the overall survival and disease-free survival in two groups of cirrhotic patients with HCC submitted to surgery or RFA.

Methods

Two hundred cirrhotic patients with HCCs smaller than 6 cm were included in this retrospective study: 109 underwent RFA and 91 underwent surgical resection at a single Division of Surgery of University of Verona.

Results

Median follow-up time was 27 months. Overall survival was significantly longer in the resection group in comparison with the RFA group with a median survival of 57 and 28 months, respectively (P = 0.01). In Child–Pugh class B patients and in patients with multiple HCC, survival was not significantly different between the two groups. In patients with HCC smaller than 3 cm, the overall survival and disease-free survival for RFA and resection were not significantly different in univariate and multivariate analysis. Whereas in patients with HCC greater than 3 cm, surgery showed improvement in outcome in both univariate and multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Surgical resection significantly improves the overall survival and disease-free survival in comparison with RFA. In a selected group of patients (Child–Pugh class B, multiple HCC, or in HCC ≤3 cm), the results between the two treatments did not show significant differences.
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Metadata
Title
Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Surgical Resection for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhosis
Authors
Alfredo Guglielmi
Andrea Ruzzenente
Alessandro Valdegamberi
Silvia Pachera
Tommaso Campagnaro
Mirko D’Onofrio
Enrico Martone
Paola Nicoli
Calogero Iacono
Publication date
01-01-2008
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery / Issue 1/2008
Print ISSN: 1091-255X
Electronic ISSN: 1873-4626
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-007-0392-8

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