Lung RFA: Long-term results in a single-center experience

Abstract

7528 Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an advanced, minimally invasive technique used to treat several types of neoplasm. Its application in the treatment of lung tumors has received considerable interest. Long-term results on patients treated with lung RFA in a single center experience are reported. Methods: From February 2002 to December 2007, 79 patients with unresectable primary and secondary lung neoplasms underwent percutaneous CT-guided RFA. Treatment’s adequacy was assessed by CT scan detecting hypodensity of treated lesion, without contrast-enhancement, and by NMR showing an hypointense area without changes after gadolinium injection. Results: A total of 131 lung neoplasms underwent 93 sessions of RFA. In 2 cases a spiral, 19 Gauge needle, was used, and in 5 cases a bipolar 15 Gauge, cooled-tip needle, whereas in the 124 remaining nodules a monopolar, cooled-tip needle was used. With a median follow-up of 22 months (range 3–63), the rate of complete necrosis was 95%, while pneumothorax requiring pleural drainage occurred in 10.7% of sessions. Conclusions: Percutaneous lung RFA has confirmed to be a safe and feasible procedure to treat lung malignancies. CT scan and MRI with gadolinium have shown to be accurate in the response assessment. The procedure is well tolerated and could be a very attractive option in patients considered unfit for surgery. In addition, this minimally invasive ablative technique could be combined with systemic treatments. These long-term data provide meaningful results with respect to the efficacy of the technique, thus further investigation could define the optimal role of lung RFA in the multidisciplinary therapy of lung malignancies. No significant financial relationships to disclose.