Ideas in this flowchart

• Thermal ablation is a major interventional radiology technique for treating tumors.
• The main thermal ablation techniques are radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation.
• Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses radiofrequency energy to generate heat.
• Microwave ablation (MWA) uses microwave energy to generate heat.
• These methods deliver heat directly to the lesion and destroy the tumor.
• The treatment preserves surrounding healthy structures as much as possible.
• In patients with liver metastases, local control rates can reach 80–90% and 5-year overall survival can exceed 50%.
• The techniques are often performed under CT or ultrasound image guidance.
• Treatment can be repeated if new lesions appear.
• Thermal ablation is typically used for tumors smaller than 3 cm.
• It is ideal for patients who are not candidates for surgery because of other health conditions.