Review finds radiofrequency treatment had similar cancer outcomes to surgery
The analysis involved selected patients with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer, but longer follow-up and randomized trials are still needed.
High evidenceReviewSome caution advised
Medical disclaimer: This article summarizes research findings and is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.
Editorial illustration — not from the study.
Researchers combined results from 15 studies published between 2000 and March 2025. The studies examined radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that uses heat to destroy targeted tissue, in people described as having selected, low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. The review also compared radiofrequency ablation with surgery and with other thermal ablation techniques.
Compared with surgery, radiofrequency ablation was associated with similar disease progression rates and lower reported complication rates. It was also associated with less blood loss, shorter procedures, and shorter hospital stays. Compared with other thermal ablation methods, the review found no statistically significant differences in disease progression, complications, tumor-volume reduction, or complete disappearance rates.
What the review covered
The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and KoreaMed. They included 15 studies involving 3,612 people with papillary thyroid carcinoma and used random-effects statistical models to combine results. The review compared radiofrequency ablation with surgery and with other thermal ablation techniques. The abstract indicates that study quality was assessed with a risk-of-bias tool for nonrandomized studies, but it does not provide the detailed design of every included study.
What the evidence shows
Compared with surgery, radiofrequency ablation was associated with a similar disease progression rate: odds ratio 0.91, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.55 to 1.51. The reported complication rate was lower with radiofrequency ablation: odds ratio 0.35, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.20 to 0.63. Radiofrequency ablation was also associated with about 21.87 milliliters less blood loss, procedures about 68.14 minutes shorter, and hospital stays about 5.75 days shorter; these differences were statistically significant in the pooled analysis. Compared with other thermal ablation techniques, there were no statistically significant differences in disease progression, complications, volume reduction, or complete disappearance. These are associations from combined study data and do not by themselves establish that radiofrequency ablation caused the observed differences.
Who this is relevant to
These findings may be relevant to people similar to those studied: selected patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma who were treated in the included studies. They should not be assumed to apply to people with higher-risk or more advanced thyroid cancer, different tumor features, or different health circumstances. This review provides group-level evidence and does not determine which procedure is appropriate for any individual.
Why it matters
The findings are relevant to discussions about procedure options for selected people with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. They suggest that radiofrequency ablation had similar short- or intermediate-term outcomes to surgery in the studies reviewed, while being associated with fewer reported complications and less intensive procedure-related care. The results do not establish that it is appropriate for every person with thyroid cancer, and the abstract does not show whether the procedures have equivalent long-term cancer control.
Limitations & evidence assessment
Only 15 studies were included, and the abstract indicates that the evidence was assessed using a tool for nonrandomized studies, so differences between treatment groups may have influenced the results. The participants were selected patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma, which limits how broadly the findings can be applied. The abstract does not give enough information about the exact follow-up duration, individual study designs, differences between studies, or how outcomes were measured. The authors specifically state that randomized trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm long-term cancer-control durability and safety.
Why this evidence level: Meta-analysis pooling multiple studies sits at the top of common evidence hierarchies.
Evidence levels are editorial estimates derived from study metadata — they are not clinical appraisals.
// Source
Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2026 · DOI: 10.3803/enm.2026.2976
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