New prospects for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy: microwave ablation working together with cellular immunotherapy.

摘要

Local radiofrequency and microwave thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been in practice for more than ten years. Numerous clinical studies have revealed that this technique is safe and mini-invasive. In this technique, accurate image guidance is used to introduce energy into the tumor tissue to quickly increase the local temperature, which induces coagulative necrosis in the tumor cells. The therapeutic effect of percutanous ablation for HCC was reported to be similar to radical resection for small HCC. Currently, ablation is often considered one of the first choices for the treatment of small HCC tumors by most clinicians. However, the recurrence rate of HCC after ablation remains high. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the outcome of HCC treatment to prolong the long-term survival of these patients.