Mid- to long-term outcome of laparoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for malignant hepatic tumors.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of fully laparoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (LURFA) in malignant hepatic tumors that are difficult to curatively treat with the percutaneous approach or laparoscopic liver resection (LLR).

Methods: Between 2011 and 2021, 62 patients with malignant hepatic tumors (37 hepatocellular carcinomas [HCCs] and 25 metastatic colorectal cancers [mCRCs]), who were not feasible to be curatively treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation or LLR, were enrolled and treated only by LURFA. Patients who underwent concurrent surgical resection were excluded.

Serum midkine as a prognostic biomarker for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Gene expression profiles of paired hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and adjacent noncancerous liver tissue samples revealed preferential expression of midkine in HCC. This finding suggested the clinical usefulness of midkine measurement in serum for monitoring HCC treatment response, recurrence, and progression. A prospective study in 285 patients, 144 in complete remission and 141 at risk for developing de novo HCC, was conducted.