Abstract
Approximately 25% of colorectal cancers patients will develop hepatic metastases in
the course of their disease. Surgical resection of hepatic metastases remains the
first treatment choice for these patients, when feasible. However, only approximately
30% of metastatic lesions are resectable at the time of diagnosis. Thermal ablations
have played an increasing role over the last few decades in the palliative and curative
setting of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) in nonsurgical candidates with a liver-predominant
disease. Several different techniques have been used to perform image-guided thermal
ablations in the liver, including radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation,
and laser thermal ablation. We review the current ablation techniques, image-guidance
modalities, indications, and debated topics of image-guided thermal ablation in CRLMs.
Moreover, recent results from clinical trials are discussed along with future trends
in liver thermal ablations.
Keywords
liver - thermal ablation - colorectal metastasis
