Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as the most popular and versatile of the local ablative therapies—techniques that treat tumors using thermal or chemical means. (Other techniques included in this category are cryoablation, laser therapy, microwave therapy, and percutaneous ethanol or acetic acid injection.) Radiofrequency ablation initially was used primarily for treatment of hepatic malignancies; however, in recent years, it has been used to treat tumors in many other organs. Radiofrequency ablation is seen as an alternative or adjunct to surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. It has been shown to be both safe and effective, with minimal mortality and morbidity, while achieving complete to near-complete tumor necrosis and acceptable local recurrence rates. This article reviews the mechanism of, indications for, efficacy of, and complications of RFA based on both the reported literature and our own experience.