Percutaneous ethanol ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Record ID 32012000157
English
Authors' recommendations: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth-leading tumor in the world, with the highest incidence rates found in Eastern Asia and Middle Africa. In the United States, the age-adjusted incidence rates have doubled over the past 2 decades with from 8500 to 11,500 new cases of HCC annually. HCC is an aggressive tumor that usually develops in a cirrhotic liver with limited functional reserve. Treatment options for HCC and its prognosis depend on many factors but especially on tumor size, staging, and tumor grade. In the United States, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) are well-established minimally invasive therapies for small-sized HCC. PEI is performed by the percutaneous injection of absolute ethanol through a needle placed directly into a tumor. The ethanol causes dehydration and necrosis of tumor cells, accompanied by small vessel thrombosis, leading to tumor ischemia and destruction. Because of differences in tissue consistency between patients and tumors and the variable presence of a tumor capsule or septa, the size and shape of necrosis following ethanol injection is only in part predictable and not always reproducible. The procedure is most often used for tumors of 3 cm or smaller. Larger lesions may be treated, although homogeneous and diffuse ethanol distribution is more difficult to achieve in larger tumors. Ethanol ablation may also be considered for recurrent or partially treated disease previously managed with an alternative minimally invasive technique, or for liver metastases.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2011
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: United States
MeSH Terms
  • Ethanol
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
  • Liver Neoplasms
  • Administration, Cutaneous
Contact
Organisation Name: HAYES, Inc.
Contact Address: 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218
Contact Name: saleinfo@hayesinc.com
Contact Email: saleinfo@hayesinc.com
Copyright: 2011 Winifred S. Hayes, Inc
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