{"entity":{"id":"thermal-ablation","kind":"technology","name":"Thermal ablation (RFA, microwave, cryo)","aka":[],"tldr":"Thermal ablation kills a tumour with heat or cold delivered through a needle, with no incision required.","summary":"Thermal ablation destroys a tumour through a percutaneous probe that delivers radiofrequency current, microwave energy, or argon-based freezing, causing coagulative necrosis or ice-ball cell death without an incision. Radiofrequency and microwave ablation are curative-intent options for small HCC, liver metastases, lung, and kidney tumours; cryoablation is used for kidney, bone, and (in trials) small breast cancers. Procedures are image-guided by CT or ultrasound, done as outpatients, repeatable, and preserve organ function. Combination with immunotherapy exploits the antigen release from dying tumour cells, though the clinical value of that is still being tested. Limits are a size ceiling of around 3 cm and the heat-sink effect near large vessels, which can leave viable cells. The simple version is that a needle kills the tumour with heat or cold.","status":"standard-of-care","asOf":"2026-09-04","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiofrequency_ablation","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiofrequency_ablation"},{"label":"NICE NG151: colorectal cancer, recommendations","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng151/chapter/Recommendations"}],"tags":[],"related":["cryoablation-systems","microwave-rf-ablation"],"cancers":["hcc","rcc","colorectal"],"sections":["surgery"],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["monteris-medical","quantum-surgical","xact-robotics","medtronic","johnson-johnson","boston-scientific","angiodynamics","icecure-medical"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["nct04665609","anchor","nct07483996"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["Colorectal metastases: NICE NG151 says to consider chemotherapy with local ablative techniques for colorectal liver metastases unsuitable for liver resection, and to consider metastasectomy, ablation or stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung metastases suitable for local treatment after discussion by a multidisciplinary team that includes a thoracic surgeon and a specialist in non-surgical ablation."],"principle":"Percutaneous probe delivers RF current, microwave energy, or argon-based freezing; coagulative necrosis or ice-ball cell death.","strengths":["Outpatient, repeatable","Preserves organ function"],"limitations":["Size limit ~3 cm","Heat-sink near vessels"]},"route":"/technologies/thermal-ablation/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"cryoablation-systems","kind":"technology","name":"Cryoablation systems","route":"/technologies/cryoablation-systems/"},{"id":"endoscopic-resection","kind":"technology","name":"Endoscopic resection (EMR / 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carcinoma (ENSAT stage I to III, resectable)","route":"/cancers/localised-adrenocortical-carcinoma/"},{"id":"lung-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Lung cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/lung-cancer/"},{"id":"metastatic-ppgl","kind":"cancer","name":"Metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma","route":"/cancers/metastatic-ppgl/"},{"id":"neuroendocrine","kind":"cancer","name":"Neuroendocrine tumours","route":"/cancers/neuroendocrine/"},{"id":"pancreatic-net","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours","route":"/cancers/pancreatic-net/"},{"id":"papillary-rcc","kind":"cancer","name":"Papillary renal cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/papillary-rcc/"},{"id":"rcc","kind":"cancer","name":"Renal cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/rcc/"},{"id":"sarcoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Sarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST)","route":"/cancers/sarcoma/"},{"id":"small-intestinal-net","kind":"cancer","name":"Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours","route":"/cancers/small-intestinal-net/"}],"section":[{"id":"surgery","kind":"section","name":"Surgery & Interventional","route":"/fronts/surgery/"}],"company":[{"id":"ananya-health","kind":"company","name":"Ananya Health","route":"/companies/ananya-health/"},{"id":"angiodynamics","kind":"company","name":"AngioDynamics","route":"/companies/angiodynamics/"},{"id":"boston-scientific","kind":"company","name":"Boston Scientific","route":"/companies/boston-scientific/"},{"id":"icecure-medical","kind":"company","name":"IceCure Medical","route":"/companies/icecure-medical/"},{"id":"johnson-johnson","kind":"company","name":"Johnson & Johnson","route":"/companies/johnson-johnson/"},{"id":"medtronic","kind":"company","name":"Medtronic","route":"/companies/medtronic/"},{"id":"monteris-medical","kind":"company","name":"Monteris Medical","route":"/companies/monteris-medical/"},{"id":"quantum-surgical","kind":"company","name":"Quantum Surgical","route":"/companies/quantum-surgical/"},{"id":"xact-robotics","kind":"company","name":"XACT Robotics","route":"/companies/xact-robotics/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct06590259","kind":"trial","name":"A Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Multi-mode Ablation Combined With Systemic Therapy in the Treatment of CRCLM","route":"/trials/nct06590259/"},{"id":"nct07130903","kind":"trial","name":"Amplitude-Modulated Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields (AM RF EMF) in Combination With Fruquintinib in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer","route":"/trials/nct07130903/"},{"id":"anchor","kind":"trial","name":"ANCHOR","route":"/trials/anchor/"},{"id":"nct07197853","kind":"trial","name":"Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Microwave Ablation Combined With Huaier Granules in Patients With Inoperable Stage IA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective,","route":"/trials/nct07197853/"},{"id":"clocc","kind":"trial","name":"CLOCC","route":"/trials/clocc/"},{"id":"nct05057052","kind":"trial","name":"Cryoablation Combined with Sintilimab Plus Regorafenib in Previously Treated Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis","route":"/trials/nct05057052/"},{"id":"nct04339218","kind":"trial","name":"Cryoablation in Combination (or Not) With Pembrolizumab and Pemetrexed-carboplatin in 1st-line Treatment for Patients With Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma","route":"/trials/nct04339218/"},{"id":"nct07483996","kind":"trial","name":"Cryoablation Versus Lumpectomy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer","route":"/trials/nct07483996/"},{"id":"nct06630624","kind":"trial","name":"Dose Finding, Efficacy and Immunological Response of IP-001 Following MWA or IRE for CRLM","route":"/trials/nct06630624/"},{"id":"nct07321847","kind":"trial","name":"Injection of IP-001 Into Thermally Ablated Hepatic Tumors in Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastases","route":"/trials/nct07321847/"},{"id":"nct07007728","kind":"trial","name":"Iparomlimab/Tuvonralimab Combined With Bevacizumab and CAPEOX as Conversion Therapy for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis","route":"/trials/nct07007728/"},{"id":"nct06208371","kind":"trial","name":"Localized Treatment Versus Palliative Chemotherapy in CRC Patients With 10 or More CRLM","route":"/trials/nct06208371/"},{"id":"nct05008809","kind":"trial","name":"Post-resection/Ablation Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (FIRE-9 - PORT / AIO-KRK-0418)","route":"/trials/nct05008809/"},{"id":"nct05673148","kind":"trial","name":"Testing the Addition of Total Ablative Therapy to Usual Systemic Therapy Treatment for Limited Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, ERASur Trial","route":"/trials/nct05673148/"},{"id":"nct04665609","kind":"trial","name":"Thermal Ablation Combined With Anlotinib and TQB2450 Solution for HCC","route":"/trials/nct04665609/"}],"term":[{"id":"bclc-staging","kind":"term","name":"BCLC staging","route":"/terms/bclc-staging/"},{"id":"cryoablation","kind":"term","name":"Cryoablation","route":"/terms/cryoablation/"},{"id":"hepatectomy","kind":"term","name":"Hepatectomy (liver resection)","route":"/terms/hepatectomy/"},{"id":"liver-directed-therapy","kind":"term","name":"Liver-directed therapy (TACE, TARE, HAI, ablation)","route":"/terms/liver-directed-therapy/"},{"id":"liver-limited-metastatic-colorectal","kind":"term","name":"Liver-limited metastatic bowel cancer","route":"/terms/liver-limited-metastatic-colorectal/"},{"id":"microwave-ablation","kind":"term","name":"Microwave ablation (MWA)","route":"/terms/microwave-ablation/"},{"id":"nephrectomy","kind":"term","name":"Nephrectomy","route":"/terms/nephrectomy/"},{"id":"radiofrequency-ablation","kind":"term","name":"Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)","route":"/terms/radiofrequency-ablation/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-fund-ablation-versus-surgery-trials","kind":"idea","name":"Device-agnostic public trials of ablation technologies against surgery","route":"/ideas/idea-fund-ablation-versus-surgery-trials/"},{"id":"idea-bio2-histotripsy-immune-priming","kind":"idea","name":"Mechanically pulverise one tumour with ultrasound to wake the immune system","route":"/ideas/idea-bio2-histotripsy-immune-priming/"}],"institution":[{"id":"zhongshan-hospital-fudan","kind":"institution","name":"Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University","route":"/institutions/zhongshan-hospital-fudan/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"devices-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants","route":"/roadmaps/devices-roadmap/"},{"id":"surgery-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Surgery roadmap: radical operations → less surgery → no surgery when a drug has done the work","route":"/roadmaps/surgery-roadmap/"}]}}