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©2009 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
Needle track seeding following percutaneous procedures for hepatocellular carcinoma
Giuseppe Cabibbo, Antonio Craxì, Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialstica, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
Giuseppe Cabibbo, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Metodologie Biomediche, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
Author contributions: Cabibbo G has contributed for drafting of the manuscript and critical revision; Craxì A, hepatologist, has contributed for drafting of the manuscript and critical revision.
Correspondence to: Giuseppe Cabibbo, MD, Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialstica, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, Palermo 90127, Italy. g.cab@libero.it
Telephone: +39-91-6552280 Fax: +39-91-6552156
Received: March 17, 2009
Revised: September 8, 2009
Accepted: September 15, 2009
Published online: October 31, 2009
Revised: September 8, 2009
Accepted: September 15, 2009
Published online: October 31, 2009
Abstract
Neoplastic seeding may arise after diagnostic or therapeutic percutaneous procedures for hepatocellular carcinoma. The true incidence of seeding with hepatocellular carcinoma is difficult to assess precisely, but a significant risk of seeding exists and is greater when performing diagnostic biopsy as compared to therapeutic percutaneous procedures [radiofrequency ablation, radiofrequency ablation (RFA); percutaneous ethanol injection, Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI)]. Whenever liver transplantation is feasible, diagnostic needle biopsies should be avoided, but RFA and PEI are often needed as “bridge” treatments. The role of adjuvant treatments in reducing the incidence of seeding following RFA or PEI requires further evaluation.
Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Seeding; Radiofrequency ablation; Percutaneous ethanol injection; Liver biopsy