ArticleOncoTargets and therapy2019
Microwave ablation compared with radiofrequency ablation for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in OncoTargets and therapy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative Efficacy of Thermal Ablation and Surgical Resection in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of gastrointestinal cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Surgical approach to microwave and radiofrequency liver ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal liver metastases less than 5 cm: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Surgical endoscopy · 2023Pooled it
- Safety and Feasibility of Microwave Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinomas in the Elderly: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of irreversible electroporation for malignant liver tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European radiology · 2021Pooled it
- Electrocoagulation for liver metastases.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A bibliometric analysis of research trends and hotspots on recurrence after thermal ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma 2005-2025.Discover oncology · 2026Article
- Article
- Microwave Ablation Monitoring Using Thermoacoustic and Ultrasound Tomography.IEEE journal of microwaves · 2026Article
- Multibipolar radiofrequencyWorld journal of gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Freehand Ultrasound-Guided Transperineal Microwave Ablation for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Novel Application.Cureus · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Microwave Ablation for the Treatment of Epistaxis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2025Review
- Modern therapeutic approaches for hepatic tumors: progress, limitations, and future directions.Discover oncology · 2025Review
- Article
- Microwave Thermal Ablation for Breast Cancer in Africa: A Pioneering Case Report Utilizing TATOpro.Cureus · 2024Article
- Long-term results of liver thermal ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer liver metastasis regarding spatial features and tumor-specific variablesDiagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey) · 2024Article
- [Guidelines for image-guided ablation of primary liver cancer (2023 version)].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2024Article
- Research progress on machine algorithm prediction of liver cancer prognosis after intervention therapy.American journal of cancer research · 2024Review
- Pan-Canadian consensus recommendations for GIST management in high- and low-throughput centres across Canada.Therapeutic advances in medical oncology · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePercutaneous ablation techniques, including microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), have become important minimally invasive treatment options for liver cancer. This systematic review compared MWA with RFA for treatment of liver cancer.
methodsThe systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted for randomized and observational studies published from 2006 onwards. A random-effects model was used for meta-analyses and local tumor progression (LTP), technique efficacy, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), intrahepatic de novo lesions (IDL), extrahepatic metastases (EHM), length of stay (LOS), and complications were analyzed. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also conducted.
resultsOf 1379 studies identified, 28 randomized and observational studies met inclusion criteria. The main analysis demonstrated that LTP was significantly reduced by 30% with MWA versus RFA (RR=0.70; P=0.02) (all studies) and by 45% with MWA versus RFA (RR=0.55; P=0.007) (randomized studies only). There were no significant differences between MWA and RFA for other efficacy and safety outcomes. Higher frequency (2450 MHz) and larger tumor size (≥2.5 cm) are amongst variables that may be associated with improved outcomes for MWA. Sensitivity analyses were generally congruent with the main results.
conclusionMWA is at least as safe and effective as RFA for treating liver cancer and demonstrated significantly reduced LTP rates. Future studies should assess time and costs associated with these two treatment modalities.
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