Image-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Neoplasm in High-Risk Patients

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related mortality in the United States. Surgical resection with a lobectomy is the standard treatment for Stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). With an aging population however, there are a significant number of patients who have other co-morbidities that preclude surgical resection. Image-guided radiofrequency ablation is a new emerging modality of treatment which may be applicable in this high-risk group of patients. In this article, we review the principles of radiofrequency ablation, the common devices in use, the results of ablate and resect studies, future directions, and the results of treatment for Stage I non-small cell lung neoplasm.