Efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in patients aged ≥80 years

Abstract Background Although radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it remains unclear whether RFA achieves favorable outcomes in patients aged ≥80 years. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of RFA for HCC in patients aged ≥80 years. Methods A total of 512 naive patients with HCC who had undergone RFA from January 2001 to December 2016 were enrolled. They were categorized into the ≥80-year-old group and the control group (aged Results There were significant differences in the alanine aminotransferase level and prothrombin time between the groups. The cumulative OS rate was not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.83): 98.5%, 87.9%, and 50.5% in the ≥80-year-old group and 94.1%, 72.8%, and 49.3% in the control group at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Age ≥ 80 years was not significantly associated with OS in multivariate analyses. Liver-related death occurred in 17 patients in the ≥80 year-old group and in 16 patients in the control group (P = 1.00). Conclusions RFA is safe and effective for the treatment of patients with HCC aged ≥ 80 years.