THERMAL ABLATION (RFA & MICROWAVE) OF LUNG METASTASIS
What is lung metastasis:
- Lung metastasis is tumour spread into lung. It may be single or multiple.
- It is one of the common locations of tumour spread. It is commonly seen in kidney tumour, breast cancer, intestine cancer etc.
How they are treated:
- There are various options like surgery, chemotherapy or percutaneous ablation (RFA/MWA).
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are treatments that use image guidance to place a needle through the skin into a tumor within the chest.
How ablation therapy worked:
- In RFA, high-frequency electrical currents are passed through an electrode, creating a small region of heat.
- In MWA, microwaves are transmitted through the needle to create a small region of heat.
- The heat destroys the lung cancer cells.
- RFA and MWA may be used to treat lung tumors or provide palliative care.
Why it preferred over traditional methods:
- It is effective as well as safer minimally invasive technique.
- As procedure done through small pinhole, recovery is fast with less complication.
- They are effective treatment options for patients who might have difficulty with surgery and for those for whom surgery is not an option due to the spread of a tumor to the lungs from the primary tumor or cancers outside the chest.
Preparation for procedure:
- Few basic blood investigations like CBC, PT/INR, viral markers.
- Bring all the records including imaging record.
- Signing consent form.
What are risks:
- Very rare, includes bleeding, pneumothorax, chest pain (<1 case in 1000).
