Abstract:Objective:To assess whether clustered radiofrequency ablation(RFA) would lead to hematogenous dissemination of malignant cells in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC).Methods:In 33 patients with PHC, the expression of AFPmRNA in peripheral blood before and after RFA treatment was detected by RT-PCR.Results:Before RFA treatment,peripheral blood AFPmRNA was positive in 18 PHC patients(56.3%),and in the remaining 14 patients was negative(43.7%).However,positive expression of peripheral blood AFPmRNA was detected in 12 patients(37.5%) after RFA treatment.No significant difference of AFPmRNA expression was found before and after RFA tereatment(P>0.05).Conclusions:RFA treatment of PHC patients does not lead to hematogenous tumor dissemination.