Review Article

Laser Ablation for Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Table 1

Studies reporting the outcome of Laser Ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma.

AuthorsNumber of tumors/patientsSize of tumors (cm)
mean (SD)
Local recurrence rate (%)Complete ablation* (%)Overall survival (%)Major complications rate** (%)Mortality rate (%)
3-year5-year

Giorgio et al. [76]85/773.2 (1.0–6.6)1882.5+3.7+1.2+
Pacella et al. [80]30/305.2 ± 0.0 (3.5–9.0)790.0+ TACE60.0§00
15/301.9 ± 3.5 (0.8–3.0)0100.000
Pacella et al. [67]92/742.4 ± 0.7 (0.8–4.0)697.073.0§31.0§00
Eichler et al. [74]39/61>2.0097.5Mean 4.4 years00
Dick et al. [64]19/1950.7#Mean 14.6 months#
Pacella et al. [77]169/1482.6 ± 0.81582.058.0§30.0§0.50.6
Pacella et al. [79]548/432
(multicenric study)
2.4 ± 0.82079.641.0§1.60.2

+Calculated in mix histologic tumor types (seventy-seven patients had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)). Twenty-seven had metastases from colocarcinoma ( 𝑛 = 2 5 ) or lung ( 𝑛 = 2 ).
*Calculated per tumor.
**Calculated per patient.
§Calculated in patients with Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A.
#Calculated in mix histologic tumor types (nineteen patients had 19 HCCs, eleven patients had metastases from a variety of primary tumors, and five patients had metastatic carcinoid).