The influence of peritumoral parenchyma on local tumor progression of hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation: a retrospective multicenter study.

Background: With the increasing importance of thermal ablation (TA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment, local tumor progression (LTP) has become a nonignorable recurrence type after ablation.

Purposes: To analyze the influence of peritumoral liver parenchyma on LTP and to explore the possible reasons for this influence.

Methods: Ablated HCCs with peritumoral parenchymal biopsy and ablation margins greater than 5 mm were included from two hospitals.

Long-term liver lesion tracking in contrast-enhanced ultrasound videos via a siamese network with temporal motion attention.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has shown great promises for diagnosis and monitoring in a wide range of clinical conditions. Meanwhile, to obtain accurate and effective location of lesion in contrast-enhanced ultrasound videos is the basis for subsequent diagnosis and qualitative treatment, which is a challenging task nowadays. We propose to upgrade a siamese architecture-based neural network for robust and accurate landmark tracking in contrast-enhanced ultrasound videos.

Liver cirrhosis and tumor location can affect the range of intrahepatic microwave ablation zone.

Background: The range of an ablation zone (AZ) plays a crucial role in the treatment effect of microwave ablation (MWA). The aim of this study was to analyze the factors influencing the AZ range.

Methods: Fourteen factors in four areas were included: patient-related factors (sex, age), disease-related factors (tumor location, liver cirrhosis), serological factors (ALT, AST, total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and platelets), and MWA parameters (ablation time, power, and needle type).

Peripheral immune factors aiding clinical parameter for better early recurrence prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation.

Objectives: Current predictors are largely unsatisfied for early recurrence (ER) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after thermal ablation. We aimed to explore the prognostic value of peripheral immune factors (PIFs) for better ER prediction of HCC after thermal ablation.

Methods: Patients who received peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) tests before thermal ablation were included.

The tumor ghost on MRI after microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A new modality to assess the ablative margin.

Purpose: The ablated tumor ghost can be visually distinguished on MR images after ablation. This retrospective study aimed to assess the performance of tumor ghost on post-ablation contrast-enhanced MRI with excellular contrast agent gadolinium-DTPA in evaluating the ablative margin of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after microwave ablation (MWA).

Method: 315 HCC lesions less than 5 cm in 287 patients completely treated by MWA were enrolled in the study.

A Hybrid Machine Learning Model Based on Semantic Information Can Optimize Treatment Decision for Naïve Single 3-5-cm HCC Patients.

Background: Tumor recurrence is an abomination for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving local treatment.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to build a hybrid machine learning model to recommend optimized first treatment (laparoscopic hepatectomy [LH] or microwave ablation [MWA]) for naïve single 3-5-cm HCC patients based on early recurrence (ER, ≤2 years) probability.

Methods: This retrospective study collected 20 semantic variables of 582 patients (LH: 300, MWA: 282) from 13 hospitals with at least 24 months follow-up.

Radiomics analysis of ultrasound to predict recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after microwave ablation.

Objective: To develop and validate an ultrasonic radiomics model for predicting the recurrence and differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Convolutional neural network (CNN) ResNet 18 and Pyradiomics were used to analyze gray-scale-ultrasonic images to predict the prognosis and degree of differentiation of HCC.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 513 patients with HCC who underwent preoperative grayscale-ultrasonic imaging, and their clinical characteristics were observed.

Percutaneous microwave ablation versus robot-assisted hepatectomy for early hepatocellular carcinoma: A real-world single-center study.

Background: Both microwave ablation and robot-assisted hepatectomy are representative minimally invasive treatments for early hepatocellular carcinoma. Our study compares the practicability and medium-term therapeutic efficacy between them.

Methods: Patients with early HCC treated by MWA or RH from 2013 to 2019 were included.