- Tumors 4 centimeters (cm) or smaller -- larger tumors may require additional therapies
- Three or fewer tumors per patient -- if there are more than three, RF ablation can be performed but it is less successful
- Patients waiting for a liver transplantation who have a hepatoma
The most common metastatic disease in the liver treated by RF ablation has been colon cancer. Results with RF ablation are good if the tumors are small and few in number. The ideal candidates for treatment have these conditions:
- Tumors are less than 4 cm
- No more than three tumors
- No evidence of metastatic disease elsewhere
Radiofrequency ablation may also help in patients who are undergoing surgery. For example, RF ablation can be combined with surgery to treat a patient who has several tumors in different locations. RF ablation also can be used to treat tumor recurrence; for instance, in patients who have had surgical resection of a metastatic tumor that recurs.
Lung Cancer that are limited in size (less than 3 cm in diameter) and few in number (one or two) can be treated with RF ablation, if they are separate from vital structures. RF ablation can help lung Cancer patients who are not candidates for traditional surgery, due to advanced disease in the lungs, poor cardiac function and/or poor pulmonary function.