Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in our daily life. The annual number of new cases worldwide is about 500,000 to 1 million, of which about 55% occur in China, and the mortality rate is second only to the top ranked lung cancer, therefore, liver cancer seriously threatens the life and health safety of the nation. Non-surgical treatment methods: local ablation therapy is the first treatment Currently, liver cancer treatment is basically divided into surgical treatment and non-surgical treatment. Surgical treatment can be further divided into local liver resection and liver transplantation. However, due to the insidious onset of liver cancer, most patients are already in the middle or late stage when they are diagnosed. Therefore, most of the patients have already lost the best time for surgery when they are diagnosed, and the treatment methods rely on a wide range of non-surgical treatments. Non-surgical treatment mainly includes interventional therapy, local ablation therapy, and Chinese medicine treatment. The most rapidly developing and reliable non-surgical treatment method in recent years is local ablation therapy. Local ablation therapy is a type of treatment that directly kills liver cancer cells locally under the guidance of imaging technology (including ultrasound and CT): it is a minimally invasive treatment method that “burns” the tumor or injects drugs to kill cancer cells by using energy and heat. Currently, radiofrequency or microwave ablation and anhydrous alcohol injection are the most common treatments in clinical practice. Some domestic and foreign studies have confirmed that RF ablation technology can achieve the same efficacy as microwave ablation and anhydrous alcohol injection with less treatment times, therefore, the most widely used ablation technology for liver cancer in major hospitals is “radiofrequency ablation”. What is radiofrequency ablation treatment for liver cancer? If the long-lasting peace of the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea in the Journey to the West relies on the “Golden Band of the Buddha”, then the core technology of radiofrequency ablation is the “radiofrequency ablation needle” – the needle inserted in the liver cancer tumor. The core technology of RF ablation is the “radiofrequency ablation needle” which is inserted in the liver cancer tumor. When this RF ablation needle is connected to power, it will generate RF energy, and the tumor tissue will generate internal heat by obstructing the conduction of RF energy (which is similar to the mechanism of generating heat through electrical resistance in our life), and RF ablation relies on the accumulation of these heats to cause the tumor cells to die by heat. At present, the front end of the RF ablation needle can be adjusted to reach a diameter similar to the size of the tumor, and the ablation volume produced is slightly larger than the corresponding tumor volume, so the scope of ablation is adjustable and controllable, and relatively safe operation. At the same time, the high temperature of 80-110℃ can be generated around this RF ablation needle tip, while human tissues can experience cell necrosis in just a few seconds under the environment of more than 55℃. Therefore, the killing of tumor cells by RF ablation is different from radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is instantly destructive; meanwhile, the vascular tissues around the tumor will coagulate to form a reaction band, which is exactly like a great wall around liver cancer, is to make it impossible to continue to supply blood to the tumor and prevent tumor metastasis at the same time. Advantages of radiofrequency ablation Currently, radiofrequency ablation needle can be used under local anesthesia or general anesthesia through the skin, or it can be used in laparoscopic or open surgery. The imaging guidance means we routinely use is currently mainly ultrasound. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ablation has the advantages of minimally invasive, safe, easy, real-time monitoring and low cost. What kind of patients are suitable for radiofrequency ablation? 1.hepatocellular carcinoma without extrahepatic metastasis, single hepatocellular carcinoma lesion diameter ≤5cm; 2.small hepatocellular carcinoma (diameter ≤3cm) with 3 or less lesions; 3.patients with greater surgical risk, such as those with liver insufficiency, severe cirrhosis and severe portal hypertension with significant improvement after liver preservation treatment; 4.patients whose tumor recurred after surgery but not suitable for further surgery; 5.for larger tumors or multiple tumors combined Pre-operative treatment during liver transplantation for liver cancer. It is worth reminding that patients with pacemakers, severe aneurysms, metal objects in the ablation area, and patients with intrahepatic stents in the hepatic portal and abdominal cavity should be carefully selected. What is the clinical efficacy of radiofrequency ablation? A large number of animal experiments and clinical practice at home and abroad have confirmed that radiofrequency ablation can effectively inactivate liver cancer cells. In clinical observation, the treatment of liver tumors with radiofrequency ablation has also achieved very good results. It is reported that the survival rates of 1, 2, 3 and 5 years after radiofrequency treatment are 94%, 86%, 68% and 40% respectively, while as early as 1996, foreign scholars reported that the treatment effect for liver cancer with diameter ≤3cm is comparable to liver resection, while the complications, mortality, hospitalization time and cost are greatly reduced. What are the precautions after radiofrequency ablation? Radiofrequency ablation treatment for liver tumor is relatively safe, with low impact on the whole body and mild traumatic reaction. Complications after treatment are what we need to understand and pay attention to: including postoperative transient hypothermia, local pain and other symptoms usually disappear after one week, as well as mild abnormalities of liver function indexes (such as ALT) within 48 hours after treatment, most of which recover to pre-treatment or normal level in 1 to 2 weeks, while bleeding or subperitoneal hematoma at the site of liver puncture, liver abscess at the treatment site, treatment site close to gallbladder may acute cholecystitis, and injuries to perihepatic organs such as colonic perforation, all of which are related to the preoperative patient assessment and the surgeon’s proficiency. Tumor implantation and metastasis along the perforating needle tract is less common. Post-treatment rest is predominantly sedentary, with a 1-2 day hospital stay for observation to prevent various complications and for prompt treatment if complications are identified. Overall, radiofrequency ablation of liver is a minimally invasive, safe, simple and repeatable treatment. It is believed that more and more liver cancer patients will benefit from this “magic needle” as radiofrequency technology continues to be improved and perfected.