RFA for chest wall tumors

Radiofrequency Ablation(RFA)  is a tool used to ablate(destroy) liver cancer and liver metastases. It is usually performed by using an electrode placed in the lesion, coupled with a radiofrequency generator that produces local tissue destruction by converting radiofrequency into heat. After the liver, most reports are of use in lung, breast and kidney cancers. There are is very little literature to guide its use for recurrent chest wall tumors. A large case series of RFA for bone metastses by Dupuy included 19 cancers in the chest wall skeleton. It concluded that this technique can safely palliate pain but did not provide long term information. This procedure can cause nerve damage and nonhaling wounds. There is also the expense of this procedure and the radiation exposure to operators and patients. Withotu more information, it would be prudent to obtain more experimental evidence before routinely using RFA for recurrent chest wall tumors.

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