The Safety and Efficacy of Combined Microwave Ablation During Limb-sparing Surgery in High-risk Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients

The MWA group followed a similar resection procedure as the control group. The area of ablation was evaluated strictly by radiologists and surgeons according to the following criteria: 1) Areas of tumor response, progression, or suspicious invasion (intermediate-high signal and edema range in T2) were assessed. Wide margins of at least 2-3 cm or more were obtained over the normal tissue around the tumor. Ablation margins were covered using a microwave ablation array with antennas (Microwave Ablation System BD-GT, Baird Medical LLC), aimed at completely inactivating the tumor in situ. Ablation needles were strategically arranged to form a matrix covering the target zone. The ablation time and power were determined based on the extent of the lesion, ensuring the temperature of the ablation area remained between 70-80°C. A 50 ml syringe was used to continuously drip and spray ice-cold saline to keep surrounding tissue temperatures below 40-43°C.