Trial Comparing PLA to HIGRT (PROVE-HCC)

Microwave Ablation (MWA) is a form of percutaneous localized ablation using thermal ablation techniques to treat cancer via direct coagulative necrosis. Microwaves can generate high temperatures in a short period of time; MWA has the potential to improve treatment efficacy over radiofrequency ablation as it can be used to treat larger lesions and has less susceptibility to heat-sink due to vessel proximity. MWA uses electromagnetic waves (300 MHz to 300 GHz) to produce oscillation of polar molecules within tissue; this generates tissue necrosis through frictional heating. For HCC, one or more microwave antennae are inserted into the liver, usually under the guidance of ultrasonography or computed tomography (CT). Frequency and length of treatment is determined on a case by case basis depending on tumor size and proximity to vessels or other organs at risk.

HIGRT represents the only non-invasive curative modality in the management of HCC. HCC patients typically have a host of other medical comorbidities complicated by underlying liver dysfunction that makes the implementation of liver-directed therapy challenging. Presently HIGRT is typically offered only after alternative surgical (transplantation/hepatectomy) and non-operative approaches (PLA/embolization) have been exhausted.