Stereotactic ablation: A game changer?
Reto BaleGregor LaimerPeter SchullianAmilcar AlzagaPublished in: Journal of medical imaging and radiation oncology (2023)
For both primary and metastatic liver cancer, thermal ablation represents an interesting alternative to surgery. However, except for a small fraction of patients, conventional ultrasound- and CT-guided single-probe approaches have not achieved oncologic outcomes comparable with surgery. In this overview, we describe our stereotactic ablation workflow and discuss the short- and long-term results of stereotactic radiofrequency ablation (SRFA) and stereotactic microwave ablation (SMWA) for the treatment of primary and secondary liver tumours. The advantages of this method are discussed together with a summary of the existing stereotactic techniques for thermal ablation and the clinical data that support them. Stereotactic ablation is based on an optical navigation system and a specialized aiming tool. The workflow includes advanced three-dimensional planning, precise needle/probe placements according to the plan and intraoperative image fusion to check the needle positions and the ablation margins. Stereotactic ablation offers all the advantages of a minimally invasive procedure while producing oncological results comparable with surgery. The number of locally treatable liver cancers may be significantly expanded with these cutting-edge instruments and methods. We firmly believe that it can become a cornerstone in the treatment of liver cancers.
Keyphrases
- radiofrequency ablation
- minimally invasive
- brain metastases
- small cell lung cancer
- catheter ablation
- coronary artery bypass
- squamous cell carcinoma
- magnetic resonance imaging
- end stage renal disease
- electronic health record
- ultrasound guided
- chronic kidney disease
- prostate cancer
- newly diagnosed
- palliative care
- patients undergoing
- young adults
- high resolution
- adipose tissue
- machine learning
- deep learning
- skeletal muscle
- smoking cessation
- positron emission tomography
- combination therapy
- acute coronary syndrome
- high speed