Efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus radiofrequency ablation (RFA; experimental group) versus RFA treatment (control group) in patients receiving palliative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. To summarize the available evidence, we used the Review Manager 5.1 software to perform a meta-analysis of English-language articles published in public databases prior to 2014. Based on 6 studies that met the inclusion criteria, a total of 531 (experimental group, 272; control group, 259) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the experimental group had a higher 3-year survival rate [risk ratios (RRs) = 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.94; P < 0.05] and a higher 2-year survival rate (RR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.01-1.23; P < 0.05) than the control group. In the overall meta-analysis, the overall RRs were 2.02 (95% CI = 1.40-2.91; P < 0.05) and 1.63 (95% CI = 1.06-2.51; P < 0.05) for 3-and 5-year recurrence-free survival, respectively. Furthermore, the overall meta-analysis showed an overall RR of 0.75 (95% CI = 0.60-0.93; P < 0.05) for the incidence of tumor progression and an overall RR of 1.19 (95% CI = 0.33-4.33; P > 0.05) for the major complication rate. In a sensitivity analysis, the above mentioned meta-analytic estimates were unchanged by the removal of 1 study at a time. The meta-analysis suggested that the experimental group had a higher survival rate, a higher recurrence-free survival rate, and a lower incidence of tumor progression than the corresponding control group.