Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related death in the Western world. At time of diagnosis, 20% of patients present with a resectable tumour, 40% with an irresectable locally advanced tumour (without metastases) and 40% with metastatic disease. The median survival of patients with irresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer is only 6 months. Currently, there is no effective treatment for these patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new therapies. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a technique that has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of several irresectable tumours. RFA produces local tumour destruction through high frequency alternating current flowing from an electrode implanted directly into the tumour and causing frictional heating. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of RFA-pancreas in patients with non-metastasized, irresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
