EUS-guided RFA for Solid Abdominal Neoplasms

RFA causes tissue destruction through the application of a high frequency alternating current, generating local temperatures above 60°C and leading to coagulative necrosis. The technique has been widely used in many solid organ tumours and has been shown to result in 5-year survival rates comparable to surgery. The technique is currently the standard therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal pulmonary metastasis particular in patients that are not suitable for surgery.

The current study would be a multi-center prospective study involving four high volume international institutions. Consecutive patients suffering from solid neoplasms of the liver, stomach and adrenals would be recruited. EUS-guided RFA would be performed using a 19-gauge RFA electrode and a VIVA RF generator (STARmed, Korea). The primary outcome would be the overall adverse events rate. Secondary outcomes include mortality, technical success rate, completion ablation rate, 1 & 3 year overall and disease-free survival.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years-old or above
• Suffering from solid neoplasms of the stomach, liver, kidney or adrenals (<5cm in largest diameter) that is indicated for treatment.
• Unsuitable for surgery, due to one (or more) of the following items:

• ASA score > II*
• An alternative advanced malignancy
• Unsuitable for surgery upon expert's opinion for any other reason
• Healthy individuals who are not keen for surgical resection
• Eligible for endoscopic intervention
• Written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Coagulopathy (international normalized ratio >1.3, partial thromboplastin time greater than twice that of control), platelet count <50,000x103/uL
• Pregnancy
• Patients with a poor mental condition or mental retardation, unable to understand the nature and possible consequences of the study
• Patients unwilling to undergo follow-up assessments
• Patients with liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension and/or gastric varices.