The COLLISION Trial Explained

The COLLISION Explained

This episode breaks down the practice-changing COLLISION Trial (Lancet Oncology, 2025) and explores how the IR community must scale its skills to meet the new standard of care.

• The Mic Drop: For decades, surgical resection was the undisputed gold standard for Colorectal Liver Metastases (CRLM). The COLLISION trial randomized patients eligible for both surgery and thermal ablation. The trial was stopped early for benefit, proving that ablation is non-inferior for overall survival (Hazard Ratio 1.05).

• The Staggering Cost Difference: While survival was equal, the physical toll was not. Surgery resulted in a 46% adverse event rate and a 4-day median hospital stay. Ablation cut complications to 19%, reduced the hospital stay to just one day, and had a 0% treatment-related mortality rate.

• The A0 Margin Mandate: To match surgical success, IRs must achieve an A0 margin—a visible 5mm buffer of ablated tissue surrounding the tumor on post-procedure imaging. Achieving this margin ensures the absence of local progression in 95% of cases.

• Scaling the Skillset: We discuss how the platform Wysdom (founded by Dr. Rusty Hoffman) is replacing the outdated "see one, do one, teach one" model. Through bite-sized "Clinical Pearls" and private "Morning Rounds," Wysdom provides just-in-time digital mentorship, allowing community IRs to learn complex techniques (like hydrodissection) necessary to achieve that critical A0 margin.

Tune in to hear why the default question at the tumor board is shifting from "Can we cut it out?" to "Why wouldn't we ablate this first?"

Based on comments from experts, content on Wysdom, and the article cited below.

Puijk RS, Ruarus AH, Vroomen LGPH, et al. Colorectal liver metastases: surgery versus thermal ablation (COLLISION) - a phase III single-blind prospective randomized controlled trial. BMC Cancer. 2018;18(1):821. Published 2018 Aug 15. doi:10.1186/s12885-018-4716-8