Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39656391›Full record

Observational studyAnnals of surgical oncology2025

Hierarchically Positioning Laparoscopic Microwave Ablation in the Therapeutic Span of Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-Life Comparative Analysis.

Umberto Cillo, Silvia Caregari, Matteo Barabino, Ilaria Billato, Andrea Marchini, Alessandro Furlanetto, Sara Lazzari, Marco Brolese, Mattia Ballo, Elisabetta Biasini and 15 more

Abstract readMulticenter StudyComparative StudyObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Annals of surgical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

25 authors.

Umberto CilloGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. cillo@unipd.it.
Silvia CaregariGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Matteo BarabinoUnit of HepatoBilioPancreatic and Digestive Surgery, Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Ilaria BillatoGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Andrea MarchiniGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Alessandro FurlanettoGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Sara LazzariGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Marco BroleseGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Mattia BalloGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Elisabetta BiasiniUnit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Ciro CelsaGastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, PROMISE, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Angelo SangiovanniDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, C.R.C. "A.M. and A. Migliavacca Center for Liver Disease", Milan, Italy.
Francesco Giuseppe FoschiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Ospedale per gli Infermi di Faenza, Faenza, Italy.
Claudia CampaniInternal Medicine and Hepatology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
Gianpaolo VidiliClinica Medica Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Carlo SaittaClinical and Molecular Hepatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Fabio PiscagliaDivision of Internal Medicine, Hepatobiliary and Immunoallergic Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Maurizia Rossana BrunettoHepatology and Liver Physiopathology Laboratory and Internal Medicine Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Alberto MasottoGastroenterology Unit, Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, Negrar, Italy.
Fabio FarinatiOncology and Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Surgery, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Franco TrevisaniDivision of Semeiotics, Liver and Alcohol-related diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Marco Antonio ZappaUnit of General Surgery, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy.
Alessandro VitaleGeneral Surgery 2 Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Roberto SantambrogioUnit of Hepato-biliary Surgery, Unit of General Surgery, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy.
ITA.LI.CA Study Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLaparoscopic microwave ablation (LMWA) has yet to gain a specific place in treatment guidelines for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study compared the outcomes of LMWA and trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for early non-resectable patients with HCC, taking percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) as the reference treatment.

methodsA retrospective multicenter observational study was conducted, enrolling non-transplantable, non-resectable patients who had early HCC treated with LMWA (n = 658) from Padua and Milan centers, and with PRFA (n = 844), and TACE (n = 425) from the ITA.LI.CA multicenter database. The matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) method was used to obtain weighted LMWA and TACE populations similar to the reference PRFA population.

resultsLaparoscopic ablation showed an excellent safety profile, and MAIC-weighted early postoperative deaths were comparable among the groups. The MAIC-weighted overall survival was similar between the LMWA (1-, 3-, and 5 year survival of 91.0 %, 67.9 %, 47.0 %, respectively) and PRFA (1-, 3- and 5 year survivals of 90.0 %, 64.7 %, 46.6 %, respectively) groups (p = 0.678) and significantly better for the LMWA group than for the TACE group (1-, 3- and 5 year survivals of 84.7 %, 48.8 %, 33.6 %, respectively) (p < 0.001). Weighted multivariate overall survival analysis and competing risk/subgroup analyses confirmed the non-inferiority of LMWA to PRFA and its superiority to TACE. The LMWA- and PRFA-treated patients had a significantly lower risk of HCC-related death (p = 0.004) than the TACE-treated patients (p = 0.001). Conversely, the groups did not differ significantly in terms of non-HCC-related deaths.

conclusionsThe non-inferiority of LMWA to PRFA, its superiority to TACE, and its applicability to a wide range of presentations with few contraindications support its inclusion among radical therapies for treating early-HCC patients.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularChemoembolization, TherapeuticLaparoscopyLiver NeoplasmsMicrowavesAgedCatheter AblationFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRadiofrequency AblationRetrospective StudiesSurvival RateAblation techniquesCarcinomaChemoembolizationHepatocellularLaparoscopyLiver cirrhosisTherapeutic

Identifiers

PMID39656391

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.