Value of radiofrequency ablation for treating locally recurrent thyroid cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis for 2-year follow-up

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating locoregional recurrent thyroid cancer (LRTC) after a 2-year follow-up time. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched from inception until 20 September 2022 to find studies reporting the safety and efficacy of RFA in LRTC patients after a 2-year follow-up. Two radiologists performed the data extraction and methodological quality assessment according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We analyzed 6 studies, 229 LRTC patients with 319 locally recurrent tumors were treated with RFA. The mean follow-up time of each study was ≥24 months. The pooled changes in the largest diameter and volume were 7.22 mm (95