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Numerous ablation therapies are available for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), cryoablation, and microwave coagulation. PEI, which is the slow injection of 95% alcohol into a lesion, is the standard treatment worldwide for small HCCs, but RFA, a thermocoagulative therapy, seems to be equivalent or better for local tumor control (Hepatology 2005; 42:1208). However, RFA is associated with higher complication rates, and results of randomized controlled trials have been inconsistent in terms of survival benefits of RFA versus PEI. Therefore, the authors performed a meta-analysis to compare 3-year survival rates following RFA and PEI.
A literature searc…