The role of microwave ablation in the management of hepatic colorectal metastases

Background: Colorectal metastatic disease of the liver carries a significant mortality. Surgical resection improves prognosis in suitable patients. Microwave ablation is a recent innovative technique for the management of hepatic cancer. The aim of this study was to review the relevant literature regarding its safety and efficacy. Methods: A literature search was performed using Pubmed, Athens, Medline and Google Scholar search engine. The following key words were used - thermal ablation, microwave ablation, liver, colorectal cancer, colorectal liver metastases - singly or in combination. To ensure an up-to-date literature search, the search has been restricted to the last ten years from 2000 to date inclusively, and the search was restricted to English language articles. To maximize this search backward chaining of reference lists from retrieved papers was also undertaken. Conclusions: Microwave ablation adds another potential treatment modality to the hepatic surgeon armament. It can be performed safely and has an acceptably low complication rate. (C) 2010 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.