Who is suitable for RFA ?
1:42 AM | 
Posted by Dr.Ajay Upadhyay
Dr. Ajay Upadhyay
Patients with tumors that are 3 cm or smaller are best suited for RFA treatment. A typical patient undergoing RFA is an adult who cannot undergo lung cancer surgery despite having a tumor that is at an early stage.
Examples of patients who may not be able to undergo surgery include those with poor lung function, other coexisting other diseases, poor general performance status which might deteriorate further following lung surgery, and patients with lung tumors that either do not respond to maximum conventional therapy, including radiation therapy, or recur after treatment. In other words, these patients have tumors that can be potentially removed by surgery, but the presence of other additional diseases in these patients prevent them from undergoing surgery.
Also in this group are patients who cannot afford to lose any more lung tissue. Although few studies report that RFA can be safely performed in tumors close to vital organs such as the heart, generally tumors that are close to the lung hilum (where the airtubes and blood vessels enter the lung) are not amenable to RFA (17, 18).
Examples of patients who may not be able to undergo surgery include those with poor lung function, other coexisting other diseases, poor general performance status which might deteriorate further following lung surgery, and patients with lung tumors that either do not respond to maximum conventional therapy, including radiation therapy, or recur after treatment. In other words, these patients have tumors that can be potentially removed by surgery, but the presence of other additional diseases in these patients prevent them from undergoing surgery.
Also in this group are patients who cannot afford to lose any more lung tissue. Although few studies report that RFA can be safely performed in tumors close to vital organs such as the heart, generally tumors that are close to the lung hilum (where the airtubes and blood vessels enter the lung) are not amenable to RFA (17, 18).
