Table 1 The characteristics of included RCTs

Casaccia 2017 [17]

RFA

22

60.82±7.25

16/6

20/2

The results confirm the superiority of Hepatic resection on thermoablation in the treatment of Small HCC in selected patients

LH

24

63.58±9.55

18/6

22/2

He 2016 [18]

RFA

38

54.1±11.2

30/8

28/10

Radiofrequency ablation has more favorable clinical efficacy, less pain and better quality of life of patients than laparoscopic hepatectomy

LH

41

52.7±9.4

28/13

30/11

Lai 2016 [10]

RFA

33

62.8±11.3

23/26

29/4

LH may provide better curative effects than pRFA without increasing complication rates.

LH

28

56.5±12.6

22/27

24/4

Song 2015

RFA

78

48 (43, 58)

70/8

76/2

There was no difference between LH and RFA in terms of OS in patients with a single, small HCC.

LH

78

48 (44,57)

70/8

78/0

Wang 2017 [20]

RFA

65

66.47±16.13

36/29

47/18

Compared with LH, pRFA has higher success rate in the treatment of SCC.

LH

61

65.43±15.56

35/26

46/15

Xu 2017 [21]

RFA

35

57.06±12.6

27/8

32/3

RFA and LH have similar efficacy for small primary liver cancer

LH

30

52.83±9.4

25/5

29/1

Yazici 2016

RFA

41

73.7±6.7

24/17

N/A

LH was tolerated as well as RFA in elderly patients with similar comorbidities

LH

41

72.6±5.0

25/16

N/A