Radiofrequency versus microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria in challenging locations: a retrospective controlled study

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria in challenging locations. Methods This study retrospectively investigated 201 consecutive patients with Milan criteria HCCs who underwent RFA (RFA group, n = 150) or MWA (MWA group, n = 51) between January 2012 and December 2016. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), local tumor control, and treatment-related complications were compared between the two groups. Prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results Median follow-up duration was 36.7 months (range: 6.2–64.0 months). Cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 97.9%, 92.3%, and 80.6% in the MWA group and 96.4%, 87.4%, and 78.2% in the RFA group, respectively, ( P = 0.450). Cumulative RFS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 93.2%, 74.4%, and 63.7% in the MWA group and 80.3%, 57.3%, and 49.6% in the RFA group, respectively, ( P = 0.097). Multivariate analyses showed that variable categories “patient age above 65 years” ( P = 0.004) and “more than one tumor” ( P = 0.004) were associated with overall mortality, and “patient age above 65 years” ( P = 0.048) and “tumor size greater than 3 cm” ( P = 0.009) were associated with inferior RFS. The incidences of major complications were not significantly different between the two groups (3.3% vs 3.9%, P = 0.843). Conclusions RFA and MWA were associated with comparable safety and efficacy for HCC within the Milan criteria in challenging locations. Further study in a large, multi-center patient cohort is necessary to validate the results.