ABSTRACT Aim This technical report describes our experience with eight patients with small lung lesions (less than 2 cm) treated by thermal ablation after rapid on‐site cytological confirmation of cancer diagnosis. Materials and Methods Six patients were treated by microwave ablation and two by cryoablation, under local anaesthesia. Small, easily accessible tumours with low a priori risk of complications were selected. Serial thoracic CT scans were performed to assess for local recurrence, and overall survival was recorded. Results Complete ablation under local anaesthesia was possible in all patients with no major complications; all patients were discharged on the same day. No hospital admissions were recorded within 30 days after the procedures, and no local recurrences were identified after an average follow‐up of 40 months (28–60 month range). Six patients are still alive, whereas two died of causes unrelated to the initial thermoablation treatment. Conclusion We describe a favourable outcome of carefully selected patients who benefit from a rapid diagnosis‐treatment sequence under local anaesthesia. Microwave ablation is favoured, in our experience, over cryoablation for this patient population due to shorter treatment time.
Gorgos et al. (2026) studied this question.