A minimally invasive surgical technique called radiofrequency ablation and its use to treat pulmonary metastatic tumours from colorectal cancer

This paper looks at a new method of treating pulmonary metastases (spread of colorectal cancer to the lungs). This new treatment is called radiofrequency ablation.  The authors showed that this technique can prevent local tumor progression for extended periods of time and offers good overall survival rates.

When colorectal cancer spreads to the lungs, this is referred to as pulmonary metastasis. This is rarely treated with surgery and is not generally regarded as curable. However, new therapies to treat pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer are being investigated, one of these being radiofrequency ablation (RFA). RFA involves guiding a needle into the tumour and delivering a high intensity radio wave which heats up and destroys the cancerous tissue. RFA is a minimally invasisve technique; patients can return home the same day they have the procedure. Earlier results from a clinical trial (published in 2010) showed that RFA was a successful method for treating pulmonary metastasis.  Out of 100 patients treated in this previous study, 30% survived for a minimum of 5 years following RFA.

The present article (published in 2013) examined the use of RFA to treat pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer. The authors treated 65 tumors in 45 patients, between 2004 and 2010.  X-rays and CT scans were performed immediately after RFA treatment and a second scan was carried out 1 month after the procedure.  Follow up scans were then performed every three months to check for cancer progression.

The overall survival rates in this study were 95%, 72% and 50% at 1, 2 and 3 years after RFA treatment.
3 years after RFA, 77% of patients had no local tumor progression.

Overall, RFA seems to be an effective treatment for lung metastasis when the only other option would be palliative care (treatment of symptoms, such as pain). Being a minimally invasive technique, it may be available to patients who would not otherwise be candidates for surgery.

Although the results are encouraging, it's important to note that RFA is not considered a curative procedure. The cancer may also spread to other areas of the body where RFA cannot be performed. The study was also performed on a small number of patients and RFA may not be available in many treatment centers.

You should ask your doctor if radiofrequency ablation can be used in your case.