Efficacy and Safety of Radiofrequency Ablation for Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the management of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CNKI databases. Studies reporting outcomes of RFA for PTC were included. Random-effects models were used for meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics.

RESULTS

Fifteen retrospective studies involving 1,844 patients were included. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled standardized mean difference of -1.11 (95% CI: -1.39 to -0.84) for volume reduction at 12 months, corresponding to an approximate 88.9% mean volume reduction, with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 55.4%). The pooled risk ratio (RR) for complete disappearance was 1.08 (95% CI: 0.99-1.18), with significant heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 71.4%). The local recurrence rate was 0.62% (95% CI: 0.32%-1.21%), with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%). The RFS analysis showed a pooled RR of 1.00 (95% CI: 0.93-1.08), with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%). The local tumor progression rate was 1.42% (95% CI: 0.81%-2.48%), also with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggests that RFA is an effective and safe treatment for PTC, demonstrating high volume reduction rates, satisfactory complete disappearance rates and low local recurrence rates.