Microwave ablation for multiple bilobar liver tumors from colorectal cancer

Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate the effectiveness of microwave ablation for multiple bilobar liver tumors from colorectal cancer.

Methods: Data from the patients undergoing a hepatic resection with or without microwave ablation at our department were analyzed retrospectively. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the logrank test.

Results: Seventeen percent of patients with combined resection/ablation at sites of initial recurrence at the liver and an extra hepatic metastasis in 11%. The difference between patients with combined resection/ablation and with resection was not significant (p = 0.84). Recurrence occurred near the resection or ablation line in 12.5% within combined resection/ablation. No significant differences were found for overall survivals: disease-free survival between resection/ablation group and with resection alone.

Conclusions: Microwave ablation plus hepatic resection is suggested to be equally effective as hepatic resection, and it expanded indications for surgery to treat multiple bilobar liver tumors from colorectal cancer.