Incorporating Percutaneous Laser Ablation for Early Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review.

Objectives

We conducted a systematic review to compile the findings of all published studies on the use of percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. We aimed to identify appropriate methodology as well as parameters for the selection of suitable patients to optimize outcomes with the use of PLA. Additionally, we aimed to analyze whether this method is a viable alternative to current surgical treatments employed.

Methods

The PRISMA 2020 method was applied. The terms "laser ablation" AND "breast cancer" were used to select all articles published up to January 2024 on the PubMed and Embase platforms. Articles in English were included. Only original articles were considered for this systematic review. Review articles, editorials, letters, and studies ex-vivo or not performed in humans were excluded.

Results

Seventeen articles, including 308 patients were analyzed. Among the studies describing the complete response rate to assess treatment success, there was no residual tumor after ablation in 74.4% of the patients. MRI was the best exam to evaluate the effectiveness of the ablative procedure with a NPV of 92% to 100%. Skin burn was the most commonly observed complication, occurring in 6% of patients. Other less frequent complications were hematoma/bleeding, pain, nodulation, erythema, seroma, and fat necrosis.

Conclusions

The use of PLA remains restricted to cases with specific indications or within the context of research protocols. However, future studies may validate this promising technique for the local treatment of early-stage breast cancer. This study was registered at INPLASY (registration number: INPLASY2024100045).