Local ablation method for treating liver cancer

There are many treatments for liver cancer. The main methods of local ablation for liver cancer are as follows:

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a representative minimally invasive treatment for liver cancer. Its advantages are easy operation, avoidance of open surgery, and short hospitalization time. The long-term efficacy of radiofrequency ablation is similar to that of liver transplantation and liver resection. The essence of radiofrequency ablation is to accurately inactivate the tumor as a whole and minimize damage to normal liver tissue. The prerequisite is to confirm the tumor infiltration range and satellite lesions. Ultrasound is the preferred method to guide radiofrequency ablation treatment.

Microwave ablation

Microwave ablation is a commonly used thermal ablation method. There is no significant difference between microwave ablation and radiofrequency ablation in terms of local efficacy, complication rate and long-term survival. Microwave ablation technology can inactivate tumors at one time. For tumors with rich blood supply, the main nourishing blood vessels of the tumor can be coagulated and blocked first, and then the tumor can be inactivated, which can improve the efficacy. The establishment of a temperature monitoring system can regulate the effective thermal field range to ensure the coagulation effect.

Anhydrous ethanol injection

Anhydrous ethanol injection is suitable for the treatment of small liver cancers with a diameter of ≤3 cm and recurrent small liver cancers; it can also play a role in palliative treatment for liver cancers or recurrent lesions with a diameter of more than 3 cm that are not suitable for surgery. Clinically, some cancer lesions are close to the liver hilum, gallbladder and gastrointestinal tissues, and thermal ablation treatment may easily cause damage. Anhydrous ethanol injection and thermal ablation can be considered to prevent complications.