最近一項研究發現使用射頻消融術進行毗鄰胃腸道的肝臟腫瘤根治手術不僅安全而且有效。

該研究分析了41例肝臟腫瘤毗鄰胃腸道的患者。這些患者在接受射頻消融術之后，41例腫瘤中有34例得到了根治，而且沒有腸道并發癥。而在此之前研究者一直警告說：使用射頻消融術治療毗鄰胃腸道的腫瘤可能會導致損傷。該項研究是由韓國漢城三星醫學中心（the Samsung Medical Center）的研究者進行的。

另外一項研究是由美國波士頓的布萊根婦女醫院（Brigham and Women's Hospital）完成的，研究者發現：在進行射頻消融術之前往肝臟腫瘤中注射乙醇可以使得治療效果更好。這是因為更多腫瘤組織被破壞，患者從而可以使用較少的射頻消融術治療。研究者發現使用這種聯合治療措施治療機體其他部位的病變也同樣有效。

美國伍斯特市馬薩諸塞州大學（the University of Massachusetts, Worcester，USA）首席研究員Sridhar Shankar醫學博士說：“我們已經使用聯合療法成功地治療了機體其他部位的病變，例如骨骼和軟組織腫瘤。但是在那些乙醇泄漏會產生有害作用的部位應當慎重使用聯合療法。例如在肺臟，因為乙醇泄漏會損傷正常肺組織。”上述兩項研究結果發表于2004年11月份的《美國X線放射學期刊》（the American Journal of Roentgenology）。

RFA Safe for Treating Liver Tumors
A study has found radiofrequency ablation (RFA) a safe and effective treatment for eradicating liver tumors in contact with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
The study analyzed 41 patients with a liver tumor abutting the GI tract. After RFA ablation was performed on these patients, 34 of the 41 tumors were found to be eradicated, with no bowel-related complications. Previously, investigators have warned that RFA might cause injuries when tumors are touching the GI tract. The study was conducted by researchers at the Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea).
In a second study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA), researchers found that injecting alcohol into a liver tumor immediately prior to RFA makes the procedure more effective, in that more of the tumor is destroyed, so patients can undergo fewer RFA treatments. They found that the combination is also effective in other parts of the body.
“We have used the combination therapy successfully in other parts of the body, such as with bone and soft-tissue tumors. However, the combination must be used carefully in areas where alcohol leakage could be deleterious, such as in the lung where normal tissue may be affected,” said lead author Sridhar Shankar, M.D., of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester (USA). Both studies were published in the November 2004 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.