[Jackie07]

Radiofrequency Ablation


For cancerous tumors, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) offers a nonsurgical, localized treatment that kills the tumor cells with heat, while sparing the healthy breast tissue. Because of the localized nature of this treatment, RFA does not have any systemic side effects. Radiofrequency ablation can be performed without affecting the patient's overall health and most people can resume their usual activities in a few days.
In this procedure, interventional radiologists use imaging to guide a small needle through the skin into the tumor. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency energy is transmitted into the target tissue, where it produces heat and kills the tumor. Most patients experienced mild to moderate discomfort during the 15 minute RFA time. Following the RFA, the dead tumor tissue shrinks and slowly forms an internal scar. Because there is no surgical incision, RFA barely affects the appearance of the breast. Click on images to enlargeEfficacy


Depending on the size of the tumor, RFA can shrink or kill the tumor, extending the patient's survival time and greatly improving their quality of life while living with cancer. RFA can extend patients' lives or in a small number of cases cure patients.
Because it is a local treatment that does not harm healthy tissue, the treatment can be repeated as often as needed to keep patients comfortable. RFA is a very safe procedure, with few complications. It is effective for small to medium-sized tumors, and emerging new technologies should allow the treatment of larger cancers in the future. One study showed 100 percent tumor cell death using RFA, with no complications after the procedure. 10 RFA is often reimbursed by insurance carriers.
Currently, the protocol is to "ablate and resect," in other words, to kill the tumor with heat and then remove the dead cells to ensure all the cancer cells were destroyed. As research progresses, the treatment pattern will become "ablate and follow"-simply treat the patient with RFA and track their progress over the following years.
For some women, surgery is not an option, due to other health concerns. For these patients, RFA is an excellent treatment option. In one study of postmenopausal women 60 years of age and older, 95 percent of women would be willing to have RFA again and 95 percent would be willing to have RFA without definitive surgery if it was known that RFA could kill their entire tumor.
Although the use of RFA in other organs, especially in the liver, has shown promising results for killing cancer cells, the technique is not a mainstream treatment option for breast cancer patients. Current research is underway to further explore this treatment and the long-term effects on the disease and patients.
BEFORE
AFTERA LIVER TUMOR TREATED WITH RFA

Dead tissue appears larger and darker than the living tumor. Over time, the tumor shrinks as the body absorbs and excretes dead cells

Benefits

• Has low complication rates
• May be performed under conscious sedation or general anesthesia
• Is well tolerated. Most patients can resume their normal routines the next day and may feel tired only for a few days.
• Can be repeated if necessary
• May be combined with other treatment options
• Can relieve pain and suffering for many cancer patients
• Causes minimal postprocedure pain

Interventional radiologists use special X-ray equipment to guide therapy directly to the site of tumors