Brachytherapy boosts RFA for lung cancer

Radio-frequency ablation, which has recently been shown to be effective in treating certain lung tumors, might be even more effective in the same population when combined with brachytherapy.

Brown University researchers treated three patients using the RFA/brachytherapy combination, with a one to 12-month follow-up. They observed tumor shrinkage in the treated area of two patients during follow-up.

RFA-induced tissue necrosis may boost the radioactive seeds' ability to control malignant cells, according to the study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.