Clinical outcomes of percutaneous thermal ablation for pulmonary metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study

Abstract

Purpose To determine the effectiveness of ablation for pulmonary metastases (PM) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Between 2010 and 2017, the study analyzed 39 patients who had a median age of 59 years. Primary HCC was under control and the number of PM was less than 5 (median: 2), with a maximum diameter of ≤60 mm (median: 15 mm). The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and local tumor progression-free survival (LTPFS). Secondary endpoints included technique success (TS), complication and tumor response. TS referred to PM treated using the treatment protocol. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model was conducted on the potential risk factors (univariate: p 2) of PM (HR: 0.555, 95% CI: 0.311–0.991, p = 0.047) were found to be the independent risk factors for predicting OS. Conclusion Percutaneous thermal ablation is a safe and effective treatment for PM from HCC.

Keywords

• pulmonary metastases; hepatocellular carcinoma; solid tumor; ablation; survival analysis