Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency (RF) ablation uses radio waves to generate an electrical current in and around small cancerous tumors. This current heats the area and kills the tumors.
What diseases does RF ablation treat?
RF ablation is used to treat cancers that start in the kidneys and liver. In these cases, it can be part of the plan to cure the patient. The treatment can also be used on thyroid nodules and to treat potentially pre-cancerous tissue in the esophagus.
This therapy is also used to kill tumors from a cancer that has spread, or metastasized, to the bones, liver or lungs from another part of the body.
If there are a small number of these tumors, the treatment can help cure the disease. When there are more metastatic tumors, the treatment instead helps slow or stop the cancer’s progress and relieve symptoms. It can also be used to relieve pain in patients whose tumors have spread to bones in the spine.
Who gets RF ablation?
RF ablation is typically offered to patients who are not healthy enough for surgery or whose tumors cannot be removed with surgery due to their size, location or the number of tumors. In some cases, the procedure shrinks the tumor enough to make surgery possible.
What happens during a RF ablation procedure?
During an RF ablation procedure, doctors use a live image from an ultrasound or CT scan to guide a needle-like probe to the tumor. The probe then generates radiofrequency waves, which heat and kill the cancer cells. The entire procedure usually takes less than two hours.
RF ablation is performed under general anesthesia. Most patients spend one night in the hospital after the procedure. Patients are usually able to walk a few days after the procedure and are fully recovered in two to three weeks.
What are the side effects of RF ablation?
In general, the side effects of RF ablation are mild and easy to manage.
Possible side effects include pain at the injection site, bleeding and infection. Some patients experience flu-like symptoms, which can be treated with over-the-counter medications.
Liver tumor patients may also feel pain in the shoulder area. This is caused by a nerve that connects to both the liver and the shoulder.
Kidney cancer patients could experience damage to the system that collects urine and sends it to the bladder. Doctors may use a short-term catheter to prevent this damage or deal with its effects.
Patients with metastatic tumors in their lungs may develop pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung, caused by air collecting around and putting pressure on the organ. Patients may get a temporary tube in the chest that helps release this air.
Bone metastases patients may experience some weakening of the treated bone. Doctors use a medical-grade cement to strengthen the bone as part of the procedure.
RF Ablation at MD Anderson
Choosing where to go for cancer care is one of the most important decisions you can make. At MD Anderson, patients are treated by a team of doctors that usually includes a medical oncologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist and interventional radiologist. They work together to design a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient.
If the team recommends RF ablation, you’ll get care from leaders in the field. Our doctors are among the most experienced in the world at RF ablation treatment. This gives them incredible expertise when designing each treatment. As members of a top-ranked cancer center, they have access to the most advanced technologies, allowing them to deliver the most effective treatment while minimizing side effects.
And at MD Anderson you will be surrounded by the strength of one of the nation's largest and most experienced cancer centers. From support groups to counseling to integrative medicine care, we have all the services needed to treat not just the disease, but the whole person.
