Local Tumour Control Following Microwave Ablation: Protocol for the Prospective Observational CIEMAR Study

Purpose: Microwave ablation (MWA) is a treatment modality for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). While potentially curative, more information is needed on factors that contribute to long-term local tumour control. The prospective multicentre observational study CIRSE Emprint Microwave Ablation Registry aims to prospectively collect real-world technical data and clinical outcomes on patients treated with MWA in CRLM. Methods: Eligible patients are adults with up to 9 local treatment naïve CRLM of ≤ 3 cm completely treatable with either MWA alone or MWA with resection and/or radiotherapy within 8 weeks. Data are collected, at baseline, every 3 months until 12 months, and thereafter every 6 months until the end of the study. The primary outcome measure is local tumour control. Secondary outcome measures are overall survival, (hepatic-) disease-free survival, time-to-progression untreatable by ablation, systemic therapy vacation, safety, and quality of life. Covariates related to the primary outcome measure will be assessed using a stratified log-rank test and an univariable Cox proportional hazard regression. A sample size of 500 patients with 750 lesions produces a two-sided 95% confidence interval with a precision equal to 0.057. Results: Between September 2019 and December 2022, 500 patients have been enrolled with at least 976 treated tumours. Conclusion: The prospective observational CIEMAR study will provide valuable insights into the real-world use of MWA, helping in the future patient selection and clarifying factors that may contribute to long-term local tumour control. Trial Registration: NCT03775980. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].