Evidence Hub

Optimizing Colorectal Liver Metastasis Ablation through Metabolic Imaging, Margin Assessment, and Biopsy (The OPTABLATE Prospective Trial)

Dimopoulos MP, Sotirchos VS, Vakiani E, Sigel C, Petre EN, Kunin H, Kirov AS, Gonen M et al.

Radiology, 2026

39 participants · 1 citation

Abstract

Background Real-time methods are needed for intraprocedural detection of residual tumors and incomplete thermal ablation (TA) to allow immediate retreatment and tumor eradication. Purpose To validate a TA workflow for detecting and immediately ablating residual viable colorectal liver metastases (CLMs). Materials and Methods This prospective single-center trial enrolled participants who underwent PET/CT-guided microwave CLM ablation from November 2019 to February 2023. The minimal ablation margin (MM) was calculated in all directions. Biopsies were obtained from the ablation zone (AZ) center and margin, with rapid tissue assessment for viable tumor (VT) cells using imprint cytology and fluorescent viability staining. Immediate reablation was performed if any of the following criteria were met: MM less than 5 mm at contrast-enhanced CT, residual PET-avid tumor, and/or VT cells at rapid tissue assessment. Gray-model statistics quantified the MM and VT impact on local tumor progression subdistribution hazard amid the competing risk of death. Results Seventy-seven participants (median age, 56 years [IQR, 47-64.5 years]; 39 male participants) underwent ablation in 104 CLMs. Overall, 15 of 104 (14%) CLMs underwent immediate reablation per the criteria (12 of 15, VT; seven of 15, MM P Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Georgiades in this issue.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a clinical trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 39 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free