SIR Addresses Percutaneous Lung Ablation in Position Statement and Quality Improvement Document

August 2, 2021—The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) issued a new position statement on percutaneous lung ablation. The position statement—with an accompanying quality improvement document that establishes performance thresholds for patient safety—was published by Scott J. Genshaft, MD, et al in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (2021;32:E1-1241).

According to SIR, the position statement recommends that radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and microwave ablation are all appropriate forms of image-guided thermal ablation to treat these tumors. The method of ablation should be determined by lesion characteristics and risk mitigation. Lung cancer is the second most common newly diagnosed cancer in the United States, with an estimated 228,000 new cases diagnosed in 2020. It is also the leading cause of cancer-related death, noted SIR.

“Minimally invasive, image-guided thermal ablation offers patients with early stage, non–small-cell lung cancer, recurring lung cancer, and metastatic disease a safe and effective treatment option,” commented Mark Baerlocher, MD, in SIR’s announcement. Dr. Baerlocher, who serves as SIR’s Standards Division Councilor, is a coauthor of the position statement and quality improvement document.

“The two publications provide physicians with guidance on everything from patient selection to treatment delivery and posttreatment care, and follow-up, ensuring high-quality care that improves patients’ lives,” added Dr. Baerlocher, who is an interventional radiologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Ontario, Canada.

SIR President Mathew S. Johnson, MD, stated in the announcement, “Evidence-based position statements are important means of improving patient outcomes. Future comparative studies on the use of thermal ablation to treat these forms of lung cancer will help improve the evidence base and allow us to make stronger recommendations to the benefit of patients.” Dr. Johnson is the Gary J. Becker Professor of Radiology Research at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana.

SIR advised that the position statement was developed by a multidisciplinary group of authors including interventional radiology, medical oncology, thoracic surgery, and radiation oncology specialists. It is endorsed by the Canadian Association for Interventional Radiology, the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe, and the Society of Interventional Oncology.