Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) offers a non-surgical, localized treatment that kills the tumor cells with heat, while sparing the healthy lung tissue. During the procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumor. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency (electrical)
energy is transmitted to the tip of the needle, where it produces heat in the tissues. The dead tumor tissue shrinks and slowly forms a scar. In a small number of cases, RFA can extend patients' lives, but it is generally palliative. Depending on the size of the tumor, RFA can shrink or kill the tumor, extending the patient's survival time and greatly improving their quality of life while living with cancer.

Microwave ablation utilizes electromagnetic microwaves to agitate the water molecules in the tumor and surrounding tissue, ultimately reversing the cells' polarity. This change in polarity causes the cells to rotate back and forth, causing friction and heat which kills the cell (coagulation necrosis).


About the Society of Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiologists are board-certified physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They use X-rays, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter into the body, usually in an
artery, to treat at the source of the disease non-surgically. They are certified in both Diagnostic Radiology and Vascular & Interventional Radiology. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine, and provide treatments that offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. More information can be found at www.SIRweb.org.



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