Impact of liver tumor percutaneous radiofrequency ablation on circulating tumor cells

Radiofrequency ablation has become an increasingly common therapeutic technique for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or metastatic liver tumors. However, reports on the effect of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are limited. The present study aimed to further investigate the impacts of PRFA on the numbers and phenotypes of CTCs in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or metastatic liver tumors. A total of 43 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or 7 types of metastatic liver tumors were treated with PRFA. A total of 5 ml blood per sample were collected from the peripheral circulation 30 min before and 3 days after PRFA. The total number of CTCs significantly increased 3 days after PRFA, and the mesenchymal phenotype CTCs, which also increased significantly, significantly contributed to the overall increase in CTCs. Furthermore, the lymphocyte levels were significantly decreased following PRFA, and the CTC level was significantly higher in patients with decreased lymphocyte levels compared with those with increased lymphocyte levels. Liver tumor PRFA may increase the level of mesenchymal phenotype CTCs, which is significantly associated with the lymphocyte count. Factors pertaining to the performance of PRFA were also investigated in the present research, but no significant results were identified.