Radiofrequency Ablation in the Treatment of Small Hepatocellular Carcinomas: Comparison of the Radiofrequency Effect With and Without Chemoembolization

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a combination of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization using doxorubicin and radiofrequency ablation can increase tumor destruction compared with radiofrequency alone in the treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Twenty-one patients with 26 nodules smaller than 3 cm in diameter were treated with radiofrequency ablation. Of these, 10 nodules were treated with a combination of radiofrequency ablation and chemoembolization using doxorubicin. All nodules were evaluated for size of induced coagulation, local recurrence, and complication.RESULTS. The therapeutic areas averaged 27.6 × 22.3 mm using an electrode with a 2-cm tip and 37.2 × 29.1 mm using an electrode with a 3-cm tip. With respect to the results for 14 nodules treated using an electrode with a 3-cm tip with or without chemoembolization, the greatest dimension of the area coagulated by combined therapy was significantly larger (longest axis dimension, 39.9 ± 4.4 mm...