Key clinical point: Percutaneous no-touch radiofrequency ablation (NtRFA) provides effective tumor control in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤5 cm, with a lower local tumor progression (LTP) rate than that with conventional RFA.
Major finding: NtRFA offered a pooled overall LTP rate of 6% (95% CI 4%-8%) and significantly lower LTP rates compared with conventional RFA (hazard ratio 0.28; relative risk 0.26; both P < .01).
Study details: This was a meta-analysis of 12 studies that included 900 patients and evaluated LTP after NtRFA for HCC ≤5 cm.
Disclosures: This study was supported by a Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korea government. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Kim TH et al. Can “no-touch” radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma improve local tumor control? Systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Radiol. 2022 (Jul 30). Doi: 10.1007/s00330-022-08991-1