MRI-guided microwave ablation of hepatic malignancies: 4-year institutional outcomes
- 1Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
- 2STIMULATE-Solution Centre for Image Guided Local Therapies, Magdeburg, Germany.
- 3Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
Abstract
Purpose: We assessed the safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided microwave ablation for treating hepatic malignancies. Methods: This retrospective single-center review evaluated patients who underwent MR-guided microwave ablation for hepatic malignancies between 02/15/2017–04/22/2020. Complications were classified following CIRSE guidelines. Local tumor progression (LTP), local tumor recurrence (LTR), non-target progression (NTP), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to progression (TTP) were assessed, with data presented as mean ± standard deviation. Results: Sixteen patients (60.75 ± 14.4 years; 9 males, 7 females) underwent 17 MR-guided microwave ablation for 21 hepatic malignancies (17 (81.0%) hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 (4.8%) cholangiocarcinoma, 2 (9.5%) metastases, and 1 (4.8%) suspicious lesion in a patient with primary sclerosing cholangitis). Lesion size was 12.2 ± 4.8 mm and total procedure time 138 ± 53 minutes. Complications included fever (N = 2), abdominal pain (N = 2), biloma (N = 1), and reactive cholecystitis (N = 1). These resolved with pain medication for one patient and antibiotics for another. No tumor recurrence was observed at ablation sites (LTP and LTR = 0%) at 36.7 ± 28.2 months. NTP occurred in 11 patients (68.8%) with a TTP of 14.8 ± 11.4 months. PFS was 44 months (95% CI: 10–85 months). Three patients died during follow-up — one from complications after liver transplantation and two from disease progression. Post-ablation liver transplantation was performed in two patients. Conclusion: MR-guided microwave ablation for hepatic malignancies is safe and effective, with no local tumor recurrences noted over a follow-up period of 36.7 ± 28.2 months. Clinical significance: MR-guided microwave ablation is a promising minimally invasive treatment for hepatic malignancies, demonstrating no LTR at 36.7 ± 28.2 months. Precise, radiation-free needle placement in real-time and effective targeting of small tumors may further improve future patient care.
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BibTeX
@article{dux2026mriguided,
title = {{MRI-guided microwave ablation of hepatic malignancies: 4-year institutional outcomes}},
author = {Daniel Markus Düx and Marcel Gutberlet and Julian Glandorf and Simon Schröer and Kristina Imeen Ringe and Frank Wacker and Bennet Hensen and Lena Becker},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0322917},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322917},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - MRI-guided microwave ablation of hepatic malignancies: 4-year institutional outcomes
AU - Daniel Markus Düx
AU - Marcel Gutberlet
AU - Julian Glandorf
AU - Simon Schröer
AU - Kristina Imeen Ringe
AU - Frank Wacker
AU - Bennet Hensen
AU - Lena Becker
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0322917
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322917
AB - Purpose: We assessed the safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided microwave ablation for treating hepatic malignancies. Methods: This retrospective single-center review evaluated patients who underwent MR-guided microwave ablation for hepatic malignancies between 02/15/2017–04/22/2020. Complications were classified following CIRSE guidelines. Local tumor progression (LTP), local tumor recurrence (LTR), non-target progression (NTP), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to progression (TTP) were assessed, with data presented as mean ± standard deviation. Results: Sixteen patients (60.75 ± 14.4 years; 9 males, 7 females) underwent 17 MR-guided microwave ablation for 21 hepatic malignancies (17 (81.0%) hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 (4.8%) cholangiocarcinoma, 2 (9.5%) metastases, and 1 (4.8%) suspicious lesion in a patient with primary sclerosing cholangitis). Lesion size was 12.2 ± 4.8 mm and total procedure time 138 ± 53 minutes. Complications included fever (N = 2), abdominal pain (N = 2), biloma (N = 1), and reactive cholecystitis (N = 1). These resolved with pain medication for one patient and antibiotics for another. No tumor recurrence was observed at ablation sites (LTP and LTR = 0%) at 36.7 ± 28.2 months. NTP occurred in 11 patients (68.8%) with a TTP of 14.8 ± 11.4 months. PFS was 44 months (95% CI: 10–85 months). Three patients died during follow-up — one from complications after liver transplantation and two from disease progression. Post-ablation liver transplantation was performed in two patients. Conclusion: MR-guided microwave ablation for hepatic malignancies is safe and effective, with no local tumor recurrences noted over a follow-up period of 36.7 ± 28.2 months. Clinical significance: MR-guided microwave ablation is a promising minimally invasive treatment for hepatic malignancies, demonstrating no LTR at 36.7 ± 28.2 months. Precise, radiation-free needle placement in real-time and effective targeting of small tumors may further improve future patient care.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -