Laser ablation: an alternative to radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients?

An array of management choices has gradually been introduced into clinical practice over the last two decades, with definite advantages for cirrhotic patients with HCC. Thanks to the development of clinically based systems such as Barcelona clinical liver cancer (BCLC) classifications, which stratifies patients according to tumor stage and underlying cirrhosis, radical therapies such as hepatic resection (HR), liver transplantation (LT) and percutaneous locoregional ablation are recommended in patients with early-stage tumors (BCLC 0 and A). These indications are based essentially on tumor volume, the status of the underlying liver disease and the performance status, but the presence of comorbidities, and the patient’s age may influence clinician’s choice