Ever heard of killing a tumor without open surgery? That’s the idea behind tumor ablation. It’s a set of techniques that destroy small tumors using heat, cold, electric pulses, or focused ultrasound. Doctors often use ablation when surgery is too risky, when tumors are small, or when someone needs a faster recovery.
Treatment choice depends on the tumor size, location, and your overall health. Ablation commonly treats liver, kidney, lung, and bone tumors. It can also help patients who have a few metastatic spots and want local control plus other therapies like chemotherapy.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses high-frequency electric current to heat and destroy tumor tissue. Microwave ablation is similar but uses microwaves and often works faster for slightly larger lesions. Cryoablation freezes the tumor with very cold probes, making the tissue die and fall away over time. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) uses short electric pulses to poke holes in cell membranes; it’s useful near sensitive structures because it spares connective tissue. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) focuses sound waves from outside the body to heat and kill tissue without any incision.
Your doctor will pick the method based on where the tumor sits. For example, RFA and microwave are common for liver tumors. Cryoablation is often chosen for kidney tumors because it helps preserve surrounding tissue. IRE may be an option when the tumor is close to major vessels or ducts.
Before ablation you’ll get scans (CT or MRI) and blood tests. You might need to stop certain meds, especially blood thinners. The procedure can be done under local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia depending on the method and location.
During percutaneous ablation, a doctor inserts a thin probe through the skin using imaging guidance. The ablation itself takes from 10 minutes to an hour. If done during open or laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon reaches the tumor directly and treats it from inside the body.
Recovery tends to be quicker than with open surgery. Many people go home the same day or after one night. Common side effects are pain at the treatment site, fever, or fatigue. Serious risks include bleeding, infection, or damage to nearby organs—risks that vary by tumor location and method.
Ask your doctor how ablation fits your treatment plan. Key questions: What are the expected benefits? Are repeat treatments likely? How will we monitor success? If you want a less invasive option with quicker recovery, ablation might be worth discussing as part of a broader treatment plan.
