Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36542137›Full record

SynthesisSurgical endoscopy2023

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.

Moustafa Abdalla, Amelia T Collings, Rebecca Dirks, Edwin Onkendi, Daniel Nelson, Ahmad Ozair, Emily Miraflor, Faique Rahman, Jake Whiteside, Mihir M Shah and 16 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Surgical endoscopy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Impact of microwave ablation on survival rates and recurrence in hepatic malignant tumors.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Microwave coagulation for liver metastases.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Robotic Assistance in Percutaneous Liver Ablation Therapies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2024
    Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

26 authors at 20 institutions in 4 countries.

Moustafa AbdallaDepartment of Surgery, Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Amelia T CollingsDepartment of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, I545 Barnhill Dr, EH541, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Rebecca DirksDepartment of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, I545 Barnhill Dr, EH541, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Edwin OnkendiDepartment of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Daniel NelsonDepartment of Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, TX, USA.
Ahmad OzairKing George's Medical University, Chowk, Lucknow, India.
Emily MiraflorDepartment of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco - East Bay, CA, USA.
Faique RahmanJawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
Jake WhitesideDepartment of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, I545 Barnhill Dr, EH541, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Mihir M ShahDivision of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Subhashini AylooDepartment of Surgery, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Ahmed Abou-SettaKnowledge Synthesis, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Iswanto SucandyDepartment of Surgery, University of Central Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Ali KchaouDepartment of Surgery, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.
Samuel DouglasSentara Medical Group, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Patricio PolancoUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Timothy VreelandDepartment of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Joseph BuellDepartment of Surgery and Pediatrics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Mohammed T AnsariSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Aurora D PryorDepartment of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Bethany J SlaterDepartment of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Ziad AwadDepartment of Surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
William RichardsonDepartment of Surgery, Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Adnan AlseidiDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
D Rohan JeyarajahDepartment of Surgery, TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
Eugene CeppaDepartment of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, I545 Barnhill Dr, EH541, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. eceppa@iu.edu.
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis · USUniversity of California, San Francisco · USAligarh Muslim University · INBrown University · USFlorida College · USHarvard University · USIndiana University School of MedicineKing George's Medical University · INOchsner Medical Center · USSan Antonio Military Medical Center · USSentara Norfolk General Hospital · USStony Brook University · USTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center · USThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · USTulane University · USUniversity of Central Florida · USUniversity of Chicago · USUniversity of Manitoba · CAUniversity of North Texas · USUniversity of Ottawa · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrimary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) represent the two most common malignant neoplasms of the liver. The objective of this study was to assess outcomes of surgical approaches to liver ablation comparing laparoscopic versus percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA), and MWA versus radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with HCC or CRLM lesions smaller than 5 cm.

methodsA systematic review was conducted across seven databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane, to identify all comparative studies between 1937 and 2021. Two independent reviewers screened for eligibility, extracted data for selected studies, and assessed study bias using the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Random effects meta-analyses were subsequently performed on all available comparative data.

resultsFrom 1066 records screened, 11 studies were deemed relevant to the study and warranted inclusion. Eight of the 11 studies were at high or uncertain risk for bias. Our meta-analyses of two studies revealed that laparoscopic MW ablation had significantly higher complication rates compared to a percutaneous approach (risk ratio = 4.66; 95% confidence interval = [1.23, 17.22]), but otherwise similar incomplete ablation rates, local recurrence, and oncologic outcomes. The remaining nine studies demonstrated similar efficacy of MWA and RFA, as measured by incomplete ablation, complication rates, local/regional recurrence, and oncologic outcomes, for both HCC and CRLM lesions less than 5 cm (p > 0.05 for all outcomes). There was no statistical subgroup interaction in the analysis of tumors < 3 cm.

conclusionThe available comparative evidence regarding both laparoscopic versus percutaneous MWA and MWA versus RFA is limited, evident by the few studies that suffer from high/uncertain risk of bias. Additional high-quality randomized trials or statistically matched cohort studies with sufficient granularity of patient variables, institutional experience, and physician specialty/training will be useful in informing clinical decision making for the ablative treatment of HCC or CRLM.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularCatheter AblationColorectal NeoplasmsLiver NeoplasmsRadiofrequency AblationHumansMicrowavesTreatment OutcomeColorectal liver metastasesHepatocellular carcinomaLaparoscopicMicrowave ablationPercutaneousRadiofrequency ablation

Identifiers

PMID36542137
OpenAlexW4312065215

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.