Stereotactic body radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma – still searching for a role

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is currently recommended for patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not candidates for transplantation or resection.1 Although there are no randomised trials, comparative studies demonstrate that RFA for tumours less than 2 cm is associated with similar outcomes to surgery, and for tumours less than 3 cm, 3-year overall and recurrence-free survival is around 76% and 46%, respectively.2,3 Beyond 3 cm, RFA achieves necrosis in only 30 –40%.4,5 Consequently, the EASL guidelines recommend RFA for single tumours of 2–3 cm as an alternative to surgical resection1 and ESMO similarly recommends RFA for tumours up to 3 cm not adjacent to vessels or bile ducts.
Source: Journal of Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research