Summary: Percutaneous cryoablation demonstrates high efficacy and safety for controlling recurrent or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma, with 86% one-year local progression-free survival and a 2% complication rate, as reported by the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Key Takeaways
- Percutaneous cryoablation for recurrent or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) shows high efficacy, with an 86% one-year local progression-free survival rate and a 2% complication rate.
- The procedure should be considered for local control of treatment-refractory STS, as it effectively covers the entire lesion with a margin of at least 5 mm in all dimensions.
- Local progression is linked to inadequate ice-ball coverage and treatment of peritoneal or retroperitoneal lesions.
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Percutaneous cryoablation has a favorable safety and efficacy profile in patients with recurrent or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) after earlier treatments, according to the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).
“Percutaneous cryoablation should be considered for local control of treatment-refractory STS,” writes corresponding author Rahul A. Sheth, MD, an associate professor in the department of interventional radiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Treating Metastatic Soft-Tissue Sarcoma
Sheth and his colleagues studied adult patients who underwent percutaneous cryoablation (March 2016–April 2023) for local control of recurrent or metastatic STS after surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. A single interventional radiologist reviewed intraprocedural images to ensure the ice ball covered the entire lesion with a margin of at least 5 mm in all dimensions. Complications and outcomes were extracted from EHRs. The primary endpoint for procedure efficacy was one-year local progression-free survival.
Ultimately, in 141 patients who underwent treatment of 250 recurrent or metastatic STS lesions, percutaneous cryoablation achieved local progression-free survival of 86% at 1 year and 79% at years—with a complication rate of 2%. Local progression was independently associated with inadequate ice-ball coverage and treatment of peritoneal or retroperitoneal lesions.
Featured image: (A) Axial noncontrast CT image of chest shows soft tissue mass in anterior chest wall (arrow). Lesion was treated by percutaneous cryoablation. (B) Intraprocedural axial CT image obtained during cryoablation. Pink outline represents target lesion. Blue outline represents ice ball. Based on review, procedure was classified as achieving adequate ablation. (C) Axial contrast-enhanced CT image of chest, obtained 3 months after ablation (patient’s first follow-up examination), shows involution of target lesion without evidence of residual.
