Multibipolar Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Mass-Forming and Infiltrative Hepatocellular Carcinomas > 5 cm: Long-Term Results

Aims and Background: Only few patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) larger than 5 cm are amenable to resection or straight liver transplantation, and in such circumstances, multibipolar radiofrequency ablation (mbp-RFA) could be a reliable alternative. This study was aimed to assess the long-term outcome in patients treated with mbp-RFA for unresectable HCC > 5 cm. Methods: Eighty-three consecutive patients with cirrhosis (median age 70 years [37–93 years], 67 males, BCLC A/B/C: 54/21/8, 74 naive) with up to three HCCs, the largest > 5 cm in diameter (median: 6.2 cm, 5.1–9 cm, 22 infiltrative forms, 12 with segmental portal invasion of which 10 were infiltrative forms) were treated with mbp-RFA. Overall (OS) and recurrence-free (RFS) survival and their associated predictive factors were assessed. Results: Complete ablation was observed in 78/83 (94%) patients. Thirty-one side effects occurred, including 6 (7%) severe complications. After a median follow-up of 26.1 months (1–112 months), in naive patients the 3- and 5-year OS was 51% (38–62) and 24% (13–36), 63 and 30% for mass-forming and 25 and 6% for infiltrative form, respectively. Infiltrative form (HR: 2.5 [1.33–4.69], p = 0.004) was the only independent OS predictor. In naive patients with mass-forming and infiltrative form, the 3- and 5-year RFS were 47 and 17 and 18 and 18%, respectively. Alpha-fetoprotein (HR: 2.86 [1.32–6.21], p = 0.008), multinodular form (HR: 2.74 [1.4–5.38], p = 0.003) and infiltrative form (HR: 3.43 [1.67–7.01], p = 0.0007) were independent RFS predictors. Conclusions: mbp-RFA offers good OS in inoperable patients with cirrhosis and large HCC, with acceptable safety profile. For infiltrative forms, although mbp-RFA leads to complete responses in more than 80% cases, few only remain tumor progression-free in long-term.