The first time a liver tumor is removed does not need to open the abdomen

The technique of treating liver tumors at two hospitals in Cho Ray and Ho Chi Minh City helps patients stay in hospital for only one day.

The Science and Technology Council of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has just recognized the new technique of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital after piloting the treatment of liver tumors with Microwave Ablation . Liver tumors will be destroyed by microwave burning under ultrasound instructions. The hospital stay is only a day instead of a few weeks when applying the same surgical method.

Technique for treatment of liver tumors by microwaves.(Photo: asiancancer).

Cho Ray Hospital is the first place in the southern region to implement this technique and transferred to Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital. Patients with tumor-stage liver cancer are less than three centimeters in size, instead of open abdominal surgery to remove the tumor with prolonged hospital stay that has been treated with a new gentle method. The doctor only needs to insert the electrodes through the skin to burn with microwaves under the guidance of ultrasound.

31 pilot liver cancer patients at HCM City Oncology Hospital achieved 98% success with one intervention, only 2% had to re-burn for the second time after two months. No complications such as pleural effusion, regional skin burns, electrodes were inserted .

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignant disease, ranked sixth in all types of cancer in the world. Liver transplantation and liver tumor removal surgery are the best radical treatment. However, only 10-20% of patients still have surgery ability due to late detection, often cirrhosis and some patients refuse surgery.

Procedures for liver tumor burns with RFA or MWA performed under ultrasound guidance should be minimal intervention for patients instead of severe surgery. This procedure does not remove tumors such as surgery but uses RFA or microwave MWA energy transmitted through the electrode needle to destroy tumor necrosis, resulting in the same therapeutic effect as tumor cutting surgery.