We’ve come a long way since the first ablative radiation treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was reported in Stockholm in 1995. This meta-analysis of 17 observational studies of 1889 patients receiving definitive ablative radiation for HCC reports excellent local control overall: 84% at 3 years and 82% at 5 years. As expected with this patient population, overall survival was much lower: 57% at 3 years and 40% at 5 years. There were zero reported cases of classic (i.e. major) radiation induced liver disease (RILD) and an 8% risk of non-class (i.e. minor) RILD, which was much more likely among those with pretreatment Childs Pugh B8 or worse hepatic function. | Bae, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2023
