Analysis of short and long term therapeutic effects of radiofrequency hyperthermia combined with conformal radiotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE To investigate the immediate and long term therapeutic effects of radiofrequency hyperthermia combined with conformal radiotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Data was collected from 80 patients with HCC. All of the patients had confirmed primary HCC according to their clinical symptoms, imaging examinations, biochemical examinations and pathology. Patients were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 40 cases each. Patients in the control group were treated with conformal radiotherapy while patients in the experimental group were treated with conformal radiotherapy combined radiofrequency hyperthermia. Finally, the short and long term outcomes were compared between the groups. RESULTS The levels of bilirubin, ALT and prothrombin time (PT) in both groups reduced after treatment and the reduction was more pronounced in the experimental group. In both groups of patients albumin was elevated and in the experimental group this elevation was significantly more pronounced (p<0.05). The total efficiency for patients in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). Follow-up results showed that 6-month and 1-year recurrence and mortality rates were significantly lower in the experimental group compared with the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Radiofrequency hyperthermia combined conformal radiotherapy is remarkably effective in treating patients with HCC, which could effectively reduce the damages of radiotherapy to the liver, enhance the patient' s tolerability and improve the patients' short and long term survival.