SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Radiation Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1644001
This article is part of the Research TopicStereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT): Precision and AI Integration for Personalized Cancer TreatmentView all articles
Comparative Outcomes of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy versus Radiofrequency Ablation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma within Milan Criteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nanbu People’s Hospital, Nanchong, China
- 2The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong City, Zigong, China
- 3Meishan City People's Hospital, Meishan, China
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Objective: To systematically compare the clinical efficacy and adverse events between stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria through a meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception to May 1, 2025, for studies comparing SBRT and RFA in HCC patients meeting the Milan criteria. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software for meta-analysis. Results: Ten studies (9 retrospective and 1 randomized controlled trial) involving 1505 patients were included. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS: HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.72–1.32, P = 0.87) and progression-free survival (PFS: HR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.67–1.06, P = 0.14) demonstrated no significant differences between SBRT and RFA. Subgroup analyses based on tumor diameter, tumor origin type, and study design revealed no significant differences in pooled HRs for OS or PFS. The incidence of adverse events showed no statistical difference between SBRT and RFA (RR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.53–1.01, P = 0.05). Conclusion: SBRT and RFA exhibit comparable efficacy and safety profiles in managing HCC within the Milan criteria.
Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Milan criteria, stereotactic body radiation therapy, Radiofrequency ablation, Meta-analysis
Received: 09 Jun 2025; Accepted: 14 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 jing, Zhong, Zhang, luo and Zongzhi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
guosong luo, The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong City, Zigong, China
Du Zongzhi, Nanbu People’s Hospital, Nanchong, China
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