3D Ablation Margin Assessment Predicts Local Progression After Microwave Ablation of Small HCC

For small HCC ≤3 cm treated with stereotactic microwave ablation, minimal ablation margin is a key predictor of local tumor progression: odds ratio 0.68 per mm increase (p<0.001). Lesions with progression had mean margin 2.9 mm vs 4.7 mm without.

• Retrospective single-center study of 175 lesions in 115 patients.
• Internal validation showed optimism-corrected AUC 0.73 and good calibration (slope 0.93).
• Right-sided lesion location was associated with increased risk (OR 2.75, p=0.045).

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