Efficacy of radiofrequency ablation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy in elderly

Background/Aim In recent aging society, ultrasonography guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been performed as a low invasive treatment against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in elderly patients. We investigated the efficacy of RFA against recurrent HCC after surgical resection in elderly patients, retrospectively. Material/Methods From 2000 to 2015, 86 patients with recurrent HCC, who were treated with surgical resection as an initial treatment for HCC, were enrolled. HCCs were within Milan criteria and all were treated with RFA. Elderly were defined as 75 years old or more (elderly-group: n = 25 and non-elderly group: n = 61). Clinical background and prognosis were analyzed. Results Average age of elderly-group were 78.9 ± 3.5 years old, while that of non-elderly were 63.9 ± 8.9 years old (P Conclusion RFA can be performed as an effective and low invasive therapy against recurrent HCC after surgical resection in elderly patients as well as non-elderly patients.