Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term clinical efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) under the guidance of ultrasound fusion imaging in the treatment of patients with small primary liver cancer (sPLC). Methods 80 patients with sPLC were admitted to our hospital between January 2018 and January 2022,and were divided into two groups,with 40 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group received MWA treatment under the ultrasound fusion imaging guidance, and those in the control group received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and hot-shock protein-90 (HSP-90) levels were assayed by ELISA. Results At the end of one month treatment, the complete response rate in MWA-treated patients was 82.5%, much higher than 37.5% in TACE-treated patients (P<0.05); at the end of three month treatment, serum AFP and HSP-90 levels in MWA-treated patients were (15.2±9.3)μg/L and (63.5±7.8)ng/ml, significantly lower than [(32.6±10.2)μg/L and (88.4±9.1)ng/ml, respectively, P﹤0.05] in TACE-treated patients; after operation, the incidence of local pain in MWA-treated patients was 47.5%, much lower than 82.5% in TACE-treated patients (P<0.05). Conclusions The application of MWA under the guidance of ultrasound fusion imaging in the treatment of patients with sPLC is efficacious, which could improve the complete ablation rate of lesions, and worthy of clinical verification.

Key words: Hepatoma, Microwave ablation, Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, Ultrasound fusion imaging, Therapy