Radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma:A meta analysis

AIM:To evaluate survival and recurrence after radiofrequency ablation(RFA) for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) using a meta-analysis.METHODS:Literature on RFA vs surgical resection for the treatment of small HCC published between January 1990 and December 2008 was retrieved.A metaanalysis was conducted to estimate pooled survival and recurrence ratios.A fixed or random effect model was established to collect the data.RESULTS:The differences in overall survival at 1-year,3-years and at end of follow-up were not statistically significant between the RFA and surgery groups(P > 0.05).There were no differences in 1-year and 3-year recurrences between the RFA and surgery groups(P > 0.05).However,recurrence in the RFA group was lower than that in the surgery group up to the end of follow-up(P = 0.03).Survival was not significantly different.There was a significant difference in recurrences at the end of follow-up after RFA compared with surgical resection.CONCLUSION:RFA did not decrease the number of overall recurrences,and had no effect on survival when compared with surgical resection in a selected group of patients.