The efficacy of microwave ablation is mainly determined by preablation tumor size and location in relation to the hilum. PurposeTo prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of microwave ablation therapy of unresectable pulmonary metastases.Materials and MethodsAll patients provided informed consent for this prospective institutional review board–approved study. Eighty patients (30 men, 50 women; mean age, 59.7 years ± 6.4; range, 48–68 years) underwent computed tomography–guided percutaneous microwave ablation of pulmonary metastatic lesions in 130 sessions. The tumors represented metastases from colorectal carcinoma, breast carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and bronchogenic carcinoma; there was no evidence of extrapulmonary metastasis for any tumor. Logistic regression analysis was used for evaluation of the statistical significance of factors affecting the end result of microwave ablation therapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for estimation of survival rates.ResultsComplete, successful ablation was achieved in 95 (73.1%) of 130 lesions. Successful tumor ablation was significantly more fre...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with four chemotherapeutic protocols in terms of local tumor control and survival of patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) and to identify the prognostic factors governing treatment success. In the single‐centre study, 115 patients (mean ages = 60.4 years) with unresectable CCC were repeatedly treated with TACE. In total, 819 chemoembolization sessions were performed in 4 week intervals with a mean of 7.1 (range, 3–30) sessions per patient. The chemotherapeutic used was Mitomycin C only in 20.9% of patients, Gemcitabine only in 7%, Mitomycin C with Gemcitabine in 47% and combination of Gemcitabine, Mitomycin C and Cisplatin in 25.1%. Local tumor response was evaluated by MRI according to RECIST. Survival data were calculated according to the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic factors for patient's survival were evaluated using log‐rank‐test. The local tumor controls were: partial response 8.7%, stable disease 57.4% and progressive disease 33.9% of patients. The median and mean survival times from the start of TACE were 13 and 20.8 months. Survival rate from the start of TACE was 52% after 1‐year, 29% after 2‐years and 10% after 3‐years. Initial tumor response, high tumor vascularity and Child‐Pugh class A were statistically significant factors for patient's survival. No statistically significant difference between patients treated with different chemotherapy protocols was noted. In conclusion, TACE is a palliative and safe treatment option for patients with unresectable CCC. Child Pugh class B, tumor hypovascularity and initially progressive disease were poor prognostic factors for patient survival.