SynthesisPloS one2012
Radiofrequency ablation versus resection for colorectal cancer liver metastases: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.
- Radiofrequency ablation versus surgical resection in colorectal liver metastasis: insight from an umbrella review.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Ablation or Resection for Colorectal Liver Metastases? A Systematic Review of the Literature.Frontiers in oncology · 2019Pooled it
- Radiofrequency and Microwave Ablation Compared to Systemic Chemotherapy and to Partial Hepatectomy in the Treatment of Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cardiovascular and interventional radiology · 2018Pooled it
- Radiofrequency Ablation versus Liver Resection for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Chinese medical journal · 2016Pooled it
- Thermal ablation of colorectal liver metastases: a position paper by an international panel of ablation experts, The Interventional Oncology Sans Frontières meeting 2013.European radiology · 2015Pooled it
- Interventional Oncology for Colorectal Liver Metastases: From Local Cure to Salvage Therapy.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Contemporary evidence on colorectal liver metastases ablation: toward a paradigm shift in locoregional treatment.International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group · 2022Article
- A novel use of biomechanical model-based deformable image registration (DIR) for assessing colorectal liver metastases ablation outcomes.Medical physics · 2021Article
- Microwave ablation of colorectal liver metastases: Impact of a 10-mm safety margin on local recurrence in a tertiary care hospital.Annals of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery · 2021Article
- Article
- Hepatic thermal injury promotes colorectal cancer engraftment in C57/black 6 mice.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2021Article
- Colorectal liver metastases: Current management and future perspectives.World journal of clinical oncology · 2020Review
- Clinical impact of radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic body radiation therapy for colorectal liver metastasis as local therapies for elderly, vulnerable patients.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2020Article
- Review
- Liver-Directed and Systemic Therapies for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases.Cardiovascular and interventional radiology · 2019Article
- Aggressive and Multidisciplinary Local Approach to Iterative Recurrences of Colorectal Liver Metastases.World journal of surgery · 2018Article
- Radiofrequency ablation is beneficial in simultaneous treatment of synchronous liver metastases and primary colorectal cancer.PloS one · 2018Article
- An Overview of the Current Management of Bilobar Colorectal Liver Metastases.Indian journal of surgical oncology · 2017Review
- Microwave ablation of liver malignancies: comparison of effects and early outcomes of percutaneous and intraoperative approaches with different liver conditions : New advances in interventional oncology: state of the art.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2017Article
- Endoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation of the Pancreas.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNo randomized controlled trial (RCT) has yet been performed to provide the evidence to clarify the therapeutic debate on liver resection (LR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating colorectal liver metastases (CLM). The meta-analysis was performed to summarize the evidence mostly from retrospective clinical trials and to investigate the effect of LR and RFA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsSystematic literature search of clinical studies was carried out to compare RFA and LR for CLM in Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library Central databases. The meta-analysis was performed using risk ratio (RR) and random effect model, in which 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for RR were calculated. Primary outcomes were the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) at 3 and 5 years plus mortality and morbidity. 1 prospective study and 12 retrospective studies were finally eligible for meta-analysis. LR was significantly superior to RFA in 3 -year OS (RR 1.377, 95% CI: 1.246-1.522); 5-year OS (RR: 1.474, 95%CI: 1.284-1.692); 3-year DFS (RR 1.735, 95% CI: 1.483-2.029) and 5-year DFS (RR 2.227, 95% CI: 1.823-2.720). The postoperative morbidity was higher in LR (RR: 2.495, 95% CI: 1.881-3.308), but no significant difference was found in mortality between LR and RFA. The data from the 3 subgroups (tumor<3 cm; solitary tumor; open surgery or laparoscopic approach) showed significantly better OS and DFS in patients who received surgical resection. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCES: Although multiple confounders exist in the clinical trials especially the bias in patient selection, LR was significantly superior to RFA in the treatment of CLM, even when conditions limited to tumor<3 cm, solitary tumor and open surgery or laparoscopic (lap) approach. Therefore, caution should be taken when treating CLM with RFA before more supportive evidences for RFA from RCTs are obtained.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.