CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of T1a renal cell carcinoma in korea: Mid-term outcomes

Objective: To evaluate the mid-term outcomes of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment in patients with small (< 4 cm) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Korea. Materials and Methods: Between 2010 and 2015, 51 patients (40 men and 11 women; median age, 57 years) with biopsy-proven 51 RCC were treated using CT-guided RFA. All patients were clinically staged T1aN0M0 prior to RFA. The median tumor size and follow-up period were 2.1 cm (range, 1.0–3.9 cm) and 26 months (4–60 months), respectively. Local tumor progression, distant metastasis, primary and secondary effectiveness rates, and major complication rates were recorded. Estimated glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) between pre-RFA and last follow-up were compared using paired t tests. The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: Of the 51 patients, 2 (3.9%) experienced local tumor progression, and 1 (2.0%) had lymph node metastasis after the first RFA session. Primary and secondary effectiveness rates were 96.1% (49/51) and 100% (1/1), respectively. Only 1 patient experienced a major complication (uretero-pelvic stricture) after the second RFA session for treating a local tumor progression, and the major complication rate was 1.9% (1/52). The median pre-RFA and last follow-up GFRs were 87.1 mL/ min/1.73 m² (14.2–142.7 mL/min/1.73 m²) and 72.0 mL/min/1.73 m² (7.2–112.6 mL/min/1.73 m²), respectively (p < 0.0001). The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was 96.0%. Conclusion: CT-guided RFA is a safe and effective treatment in Korean patients with T1a RCC because of excellent mid-term outcomes.