Table 2 Summary of the results on the efficacy and safety of RFA versus HR in the management of small HCC

Efficacy:

Overall survival

   1 year

10^21-30

89.7%

91.3%

0.84 (0.58, 1.21)

0.34

0%

   2 years

4^{23-25, 29}

79.3%

82.2%

0.80 (0.50, 1.27)

0.35

0%

   3 years

9^{21-28, 30}

63.5%

74.4%

0.56 (0.44, 0.71)

< 0.001

46.3%

   5 years

5^26-30

41.3%

51.9%

0.60 (0.36, 1.01)

0.05

61.6%

Intrahepatic recurrence

   Local recurrence

5^{22-24, 29, 30}

19.0%

4.2%

4.50 (2.45, 8.27)

< 0.001

10.7%

   Distant recurrence

5^{22-24, 29, 30}

39.6%

38.8%

1.16 (0.83, 1.61)

0.38

27.1%

Disease-free survival

   1 year

9^21-29

68.8%

80.3%

0.54 (0.35, 0.84)

0.006

59.2%

   2 years

3^{24, 25, 29}

49.6%

74.3%

0.34 (0.21, 0.55)

< 0.001

0%

   3 years

8^21-28

34.9%

54.4%

0.44 (0.28, 0.68)

< 0.001

66.7%

   5 years

4^25-28

18.4%

23.8%

0.64 (0.42, 0.99)

0.05

47.2%

Safety:

   Morbidity

6^{23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30}

9.6%

32.5%

0.29 (0.13, 0.65)

0.003

72.7%

   Mortality

10^21-30

0.1%

0.8%

0.36 (0.10, 1.27)

0.11

0%