Thierry De Baere, MD

Surgery is the treatment of choice for all primary and most metastatic liver tumors in patients without extrahepatic disease. One limitation to resection, however, is concern that the volume of liver parenchyma remaining after surgery (remnant liver) may not be sufficient to avoid lethal posthepatectomy liver failure.

The impressive results attained with radio-frequency ablation in the treatment of unresectable liver primary cancer and liver metastases have encouraged researchers to use the technique for other types of cancer. Several experimental studies have demonstrated that RF ablation can completely destroy healthy lung or renal parenchyma and tumor models in animals.1-4 Small and medium-sized clinical series have also treated kidney, lung, bone, adrenal, pelvic, thyroid, breast, and nodal metastases.