美韩科学家共同证实使用射频消融术治疗肝脏肿瘤是安全的

最近一项研究发现使用射频消融术进行毗邻胃肠道的肝脏肿瘤根治手术不仅安全而且有效。

该研究分析了41例肝脏肿瘤毗邻胃肠道的患者。这些患者在接受射频消融术之后，41例肿瘤中有34例得到了根治，而且没有肠道并发症。而在此之前研究者一直警告说：使用射频消融术治疗毗邻胃肠道的肿瘤可能会导致损伤。该项研究是由韩国汉城三星医学中心（the Samsung Medical Center）的研究者进行的。

另外一项研究是由美国波士顿的布莱根妇女医院（Brigham and Women's Hospital）完成的，研究者发现：在进行射频消融术之前往肝脏肿瘤中注射乙醇可以使得治疗效果更好。这是因为更多肿瘤组织被破坏，患者从而可以使用较少的射频消融术治疗。研究者发现使用这种联合治疗措施治疗机体其他部位的病变也同样有效。

美国伍斯特市马萨诸塞州大学（the University of Massachusetts, Worcester，USA）首席研究员Sridhar Shankar医学博士说：“我们已经使用联合疗法成功地治疗了机体其他部位的病变，例如骨骼和软组织肿瘤。但是在那些乙醇泄漏会产生有害作用的部位应当慎重使用联合疗法。例如在肺脏，因为乙醇泄漏会损伤正常肺组织。”上述两项研究结果发表于2004年11月份的《美国X线放射学期刊》（the American Journal of Roentgenology）。

RFA Safe for Treating Liver Tumors
A study has found radiofrequency ablation (RFA) a safe and effective treatment for eradicating liver tumors in contact with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
The study analyzed 41 patients with a liver tumor abutting the GI tract. After RFA ablation was performed on these patients, 34 of the 41 tumors were found to be eradicated, with no bowel-related complications. Previously, investigators have warned that RFA might cause injuries when tumors are touching the GI tract. The study was conducted by researchers at the Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea).
In a second study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA), researchers found that injecting alcohol into a liver tumor immediately prior to RFA makes the procedure more effective, in that more of the tumor is destroyed, so patients can undergo fewer RFA treatments. They found that the combination is also effective in other parts of the body.
“We have used the combination therapy successfully in other parts of the body, such as with bone and soft-tissue tumors. However, the combination must be used carefully in areas where alcohol leakage could be deleterious, such as in the lung where normal tissue may be affected,” said lead author Sridhar Shankar, M.D., of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester (USA). Both studies were published in the November 2004 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.