Efficacy and safety of radiofrequency, microwave and laser ablation for treating papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA) and laser ablation (LA) for treating papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Materials and methods: PUBMED and EMBASE were searched for studies on the efficacy and safety of RFA, MWA and LA for treating PTMC. The standard mean difference of the tumor volume before and after therapy and the proportion of complete disappearance, local recurrence, distant metastasis and complications were assessed using both fixed or random-effects modeling. Heterogeneity among studies was determined using the Q statistic for the pooled estimates and the inconsistency index I2. Results: A total of 12 eligible studies, including a sample size of 1187 patients and 1284 PTMCs, were used. RFA, MWA and LA all showed a significant reduction in tumor volume of PTMCs (p 0.05). Conclusion: RFA, MWA and LA are acceptable treatments to manage PTMCs in terms of efficacy and safety for non-surgical candidates.

Keywords

• papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
• radiofrequency ablation
• microwave ablation
• laser ablation
• ultrasound