Efficacy and safety of microwave ablation in the treatment of patients with oligometastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: a retrospective study

Abstract

Purpose: Patients with oligometastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) benefit from local control treatments such as surgery or irradiation. The efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) in these patients was unknown.Material and methods: Between January 2011 and April 2018, eligible patients were retrospectively enrolled. MWA was conducted for both primary lesions and metastatic lesions in patients with synchronous metastases and in metastatic lesions for patients with metachronous metastases. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), technical success, technique efficacy, and complications.Results: Seventy-nine patients with 103 oligometastatic lesions were enrolled. A total of 20 primary lesions and 96 metastatic lesions were treated with MWA during 101 procedures. Technical success was achieved in all patients. Technique efficacy was achieved in 72 patients (91.1%). The median PFS and OS were 14.0 and 47.8 months, respectively. Forty-four patients (55.7%) developed complications with 21 (29.6%) of these patients developing major complications. All complications were resolved via appropriate medical treatments, and no MWA-related deaths occurred.Conclusion: MWA was safe and effective for patients with oligometastatic NSCLC.