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).