Both surgery and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are used to destroy liver tumors that have spread from colorectal cancer, but which approach is better?

Surgeons at the University of Louisville School of Medicine reviewed all the cases where patients received either surgery only or RFA only in their hospital over the past twelve years.  They had over 1,100 cases involving liver tumors during that time, and 192 involved either a single liver surgery or only radiofrequency ablation.

They found the time before cancer came back was considerably shorter for RFA.  In addition, cancer returned at the RFA or surgical site more often for RFA, and also recurred more often elsewhere in the liver. Read the rest of this entry »