Clinical effect of cold and heat ablation on patients with advanced lung cancer and its influence on immune function.

Objective: This study was designed to explore the clinical effect of cold and heat ablation on patients with advanced lung cancer (LC) and its influence on immune function.

Methods: Data of 104 cases of advanced LC treated between July 2015 and April 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 49 patients receiving argon helium cryoablation (AHC) were regarded as group A, and 55 patients receiving radiofrequency ablation (RFA) were regarded as group B. The short-term postoperative efficacy and local tumour control rate were compared between the two groups. The changes in immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. After treatment, the changes in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) were compared between the two groups. During the treatment, the complications and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was applied to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of patients.

Results: There was no statistical difference in IgA, IgG and IgM between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). There was no statistical difference in CEA and CYFRA21-1 between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). There was no notable difference in disease control rate and response rate between the two groups at 3 and 6 months after operation (P>0.05). The incidence of pleural effusion in group A was obviously lower than that in group B (P<0.05). The incidence of intraoperative pain in group A was obviously higher than that in group B (P<0.05). Age, clinical stage, CEA and CYFRA21-1 were found to be independent prognostic factors impacting overall survival (P<0.05).

Conclusion: AHC and RFA are minimally invasive procedures that lead to few complications in the treatment of advanced LC. Cold and heat ablation is a relatively safe and effective minimally invasive technique for tumour treatment, which is worthy of application and promotion in the clinical treatment of LC.