Written By: Dr. Suyash Kulkarni

Published On: 04 Aug, 2023 5:53 PM | Updated On: 04 Aug, 2023 6:48 PM

Ablative Therapies in Liver Tumor

Ablative therapies are a group of medical procedures used to treat liver tumors by destroying cancerous cells. These therapies are often considered when surgical removal of the tumor is not feasible or as a complementary treatment to other approaches. The two primary ablative techniques used for the treatment of HCC are:

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA): RFA uses high-frequency electrical currents to generate heat, destroying tumor cells. A needle-like probe is inserted into the liver tumor during the procedure, guided by imaging techniques such as ultrasound. The probe then heats the tumor, causing cellular destruction through coagulative necrosis. This method is associated with very low mortality rates and acceptable morbidity.

Microwave ablation (MWA): MWA is similar to RFA but uses microwaves to generate heat and destroy tumor cells. Microwaves can penetrate tissues more effectively than radiofrequency waves, allowing for more extensive and homogeneous ablation zones. Like RFA, imaging guidance is used in MWA to accurately place the microwave antenna with frequencies between 900 and 2450 MHZ into the tumor. This method works on two theories, i.e., Dipole and Ionic theories.