Table 1.
Summary of clinical studies on ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
| Reference | Patients | Publication Type | Treatment | Main Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luo et al. (2024) (26) |
Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with PTMC near the thyroid capsule. |
| Zhou et al. (2024) (27) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA demonstrates effective and safe treatment for low-risk unifocal PTMC, warranting promotion for eligible patients |
| Li et al. (2024) (28) |
Patients with unifocal PTMC | Retrospective study | MWA | RFA and MWA are effective and safe treatments for unifocal PTMC, serving as alternative techniques for patients ineligible or unwilling for surgery |
| Wang et al. (2024) (29) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA is a safe and effective surgical option for single-focus PTMC, preserving thyroid function with minimal complications |
| Zeng et al. (2023) (30) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA shows superior efficacy, safety, postoperative recovery, and lower recurrence risk for PTMC |
| Yan et al. (2023) (31) |
Patients with PTMC | Multicenter retrospective study | UGTA | UGTA proved effective and safe for treating patients with solitary low-risk PTMC, presenting a viable management option for this condition |
| Lai et al. (2022) (32) |
Patients with PTMC | Large cohort study | UGTA | RFA-treated PTMCs were smaller in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients than in those with a healthy thyroid at 1 week post-RFA |
| Yan et al. (2021) (33) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | Core-needle biopsy can assess ablation efficacy post-RFA for low-risk PTMC |
| Zhu et al. (2021) (34) |
Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA proves highly effective and safe for PTMC, offering a minimally invasive treatment option for patients who decline surgery or active surveillance |
| Yan et al. (2021) (35) |
Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA vs. surgery | UGRFA as a promising minimally invasive alternative to TL for low-risk PTMC, showing comparable four-year clinical outcomes |
| Lan et al. (2021) (36) |
Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA offers unique advantages over traditional open surgery, enhancing patients’ quality of life and serving as an alternative for PTMC |
| Cao et al. (2021) (37) |
Patients with PTMC | Multicenter retrospective study | UGRFA | UGTA is an effective and safe treatment option for patients with PTMC, alongside active surveillance and surgery |
| He et al. (2021) (38) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA is a safe and effective alternative for low-risk PTMC in older patients, especially those with high anesthesia and postoperative complication risks or who reject surgery |
| Song et al. (2021) (39) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA is beneficial for PTMC in the isthmus |
| Zhang et al. (2022) (40) | Patients with PTMC | Propensity-matched study | UGRFA vs. surgery | Comparison of ultrasound-guided RFA with open thyroidectomy for low-risk PTMC |
| Lan et al. (2020) (41) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | Factors affecting quality of life in UGRFA-treated PTMC patients |
| Cho et al. (2020) (42) | Patients with PTMC | Cohort study | UGRFA | UGRFA effectively treats low-risk PTMC patients over five years, with no adverse events or need for delayed surgery |
| Wu et al. (2020) (43) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA is safe and effective for PTMC, yielding favorable oncological outcomes and volume reduction rate |
| Zhang et al. (2020) (44) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA vs. surgery | For low-risk intrathyroidal PTMC, UGRFA was non-inferior to surgery, with better quality of life and lower costs |
| Zhang et al. (2019) (45) | Patients with PTMC | Prospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA was effective in PTMC+CLT patients, with efficacy and safety similar to PTMC-only cases |
| Ding et al. (2019) (46) | Patients with PTMC | Retrospective study | UGRFA | Low-power UGRFA demonstrates safety and promising efficacy for PTMC, serving as an alternative to surgery and active surveillance |
| Zhang et al. (2016) (47) | Patients with PTMC | Prospective study | UGRFA | UGRFA effectively eliminates low-risk PTMC with minimal complications, offering an alternative treatment strategy |
RFA, radiofrequency ablation; UGRFA, ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation; PTMC, papillary thyroid microcarcinoma; UGTA, Ultrasound-guided thermal Ablation; MWA, microwave ablation; CLT, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.