Microwave Ablation

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors in women of reproductive age, with a prevalence of 20%-50%, often causing menorrhagia, anemia, pelvic pain, and pressure symptoms that markedly impair quality of life. Current treatments include pharmacological therapy (GnRH-a, mifepristone) - effective temporarily but with high recurrence after discontinuation; surgical myomectomy or hysterectomy - definitive yet invasive, with prolonged recovery and potential fertility compromise; and minimally invasive therapies such as uterine artery embolization (UAE), high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and microwave ablation (MWA), which are increasingly favored for their minimal invasiveness and rapid recovery. MWA delivers thermal energy via a percutaneously inserted antenna under ultrasound guidance, inducing coagulative necrosis of fibroid tissue through temperatures exceeding 60°C. Advantages include minimal trauma (\~2 mm puncture), rapid recovery (discharge within 1-2 days), uterine preservation, and negligible ovarian impact. However, a key limitation is the heat sink effect: in hypervascular fibroids, flowing blood dissipates thermal energy, resulting in incomplete ablation, prolonged procedural time, and higher energy requirements - particularly challenging for fibroids \>5 cm in diameter. Chemical ablation involves intralesional injection of a sclerosing agent (e.g., lauromacrogol), which damages vascular endothelial cells, causing vascular occlusion, thrombosis, ischemic necrosis, and direct membrane disruption that accelerates apoptosis. Theoretically, pre-ablation chemical sclerotherapy may occlude feeding vessels, attenuate the heat sink effect, and enhance subsequent thermal ablation efficiency. Supporting this concept, an ex vivo bovine liver study demonstrated that pre-injection of 5 mL of 99.5% ethanol around the electrode prior to radiofrequency ablation produced a significantly larger ablation zone at equivalent energy levels compared with ablation alone. Small-sample clinical studies, including a prospective cohort from Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, have preliminarily explored combined chemical ablation plus MWA for uterine fibroids, suggesting improved ablation rates and shorter procedural times, though findings require validation through high-quality randomized controlled trials. Therefore, the investigators conducted this multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial to rigorously compare the safety (incidence and severity of adverse events) and efficacy (fibroid volume reduction rate, symptom improvement, quality-of-life outcomes) of MWA alone versus MWA combined with chemical ablation. This study aims to clarify the clinical value of the combined approach and provide high-quality, evidence-based data to guide the optimal selection of minimally invasive treatment strategies for uterine fibroids.

This is a single-center, investigator-initiated, prospective observational registry that will collect longitudinal clinical data on adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation (MWA) for pancreatic and other gastrointestinal/hepatobiliary lesions as part of routine clinical care. The registry will not alter standard-of-care management. Data will be abstracted from the medical record and routine clinical systems. Primary outcomes include change in target lesion size on clinically obtained imaging and overall survival following ablation. Secondary outcomes include changes in tumor biomarkers, adverse events, non-target lesion changes, and patient-reported symptoms.

This clinical trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of microwave ablation in treating vascular malformations, including both venous malformations (VM) and arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Vascular malformations are abnormal clusters of blood vessels that can cause pain, swelling, and functional impairment, significantly affecting a patient's quality of life. Microwave ablation is a minimally invasive treatment that uses heat to shrink abnormal vessels, but its effectiveness and safety for these conditions need further investigation. The trial will enroll 150 patients (100 with venous malformations and 50 with arteriovenous malformations), all of whom will undergo a single session of microwave ablation. Ultrasound guidance will be used during the procedure to precisely target the lesions, while MRI will be used for both preoperative and postoperative evaluations to assess lesion size and track changes over time. The primary goals of the study are to determine whether microwave ablation can reduce lesion size and improve symptoms such as pain and swelling. Additionally, the study will monitor adverse events to evaluate the safety of the procedure, including any potential complications like infection, bleeding, or nerve injury. Patients will be followed for 12 months, with MRI scans taken at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the procedure to evaluate lesion shrinkage and monitor for any recurrence. Clinical symptoms will also be assessed at these time points to track improvement. This study could provide important data on the safety and efficacy of microwave ablation, potentially offering a less invasive treatment option for patients with vascular malformations.

This prospective, single-center, randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) combined with Huaier granules in patients with inoperable stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 180 eligible patients will be randomly assigned to receive either MWA alone or MWA combined with Huaier granules. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Secondary outcomes include local progression rate (LPR), overall survival (OS), tumor markers, immune function, and quality of life. Safety will be evaluated using the CTCAE v5.0 criteria. The study seeks to determine whether the combined therapy offers improved tumor control and immune benefits over MWA alone.

In 2016, there were 203,000 new cases of thyroid cancer in China, ranking 7th among all malignant tumours and 4th among women, and showing a rapid growth trend. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTMC) with a diameter of ≤10 mm is the most common type of thyroid cancer, accounting for about 50% to 60% of the total number of cases. Low-risk PTMC is the most common type of thyroid cancer, with low invasiveness and good prognosis. Surgery is the treatment of choice for low-risk PTMC, but it significantly affects the quality of life of patients by affecting the function of the thyroid gland and requiring long-term medication after surgery, as well as having a high incidence of intra- and postoperative complications; there are certain impacts and limitations in the actual treatment. Microwave ablation (MWA) is a therapeutic modality emerging in recent years, which has the characteristics of easy operation, precise positioning, safety and effectiveness, small postoperative damage, fast recovery, fewer complications, and does not affect the aesthetics of the patient, which not only avoids surgical trauma and reduces the anxiety of the patient, but also better preserves the function of the thyroid gland, and its clinical application is becoming more and more widespread. In recent years, the application of microwave ablation in the treatment of PTMC has received more and more attention. Ultrasound, as a first-line examination tool, is accepted by the majority of patients because of its advantages of safety, speed, efficiency, low price and painlessness. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a new examination technique developed in recent years, which can provide richer and clearer diagnostic information than conventional ultrasound and colour Doppler ultrasound. Ultrasound contrast agents (e.g. Sonovue, Sonazoid), Sonovue with sulphur hexafluoride microbubbles as the main ingredient and Sonazoid with perfluorobutane microbubbles as the main ingredient, are non-toxic, non-radioactive, do not require allergy testing, and do not have the advantages of liver or kidney toxicity, etc., and are increasingly recognised by the public. Ultrasonography is now widely used in clinical practice as the primary modality for assessing efficacy after thyroid ablation therapy. Molecular diagnosis is one of the most important tools for preoperative diagnosis and invasiveness assessment of thyroid cancer. Common thyroid cancer gene variants include point mutations such as BRAF V600E, RAS, TP53, PIK3CA, and gene integration variants such as CCDC6-RET and ETV6-NTRK3. This project intends to assess the efficacy and prognosis of microwave ablation therapy for micropapillary thyroid cancer by ultrasonography combined with genetic molecular diagnosis, which in turn will assist in clinical treatment decisions.

This study intends to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-dose adjuvant donafenib after thermal ablation for early recurrent HCC within Milan criteria.

This study intends to evaluate the efficacy and safety of microwave ablation combined lenvatinib simultaneously for recurrent HCC