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CANCER DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENTS
Chemoembolization of Liver Tumors
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Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive procedure to treat certain types of liver cancer. During an angiogram, where the radiologist can see the blood flow to the liver, a catheter is placed through a small nick in the skin at the top of the leg and guided to the artery that feeds the tumor. During the procedure, chemotherapy drugs and tiny particles are injected into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor in the liver. The artery is then blocked off (embolized). The tumor becomes deprived of oxygen and nutrients once the blood supply is blocked and since the artery is blocked, no blood circulates through the tumor, therefore the chemotherapy drugs stay in the tumor for a much longer time.
Since the drugs are inserted directly into the tumor site, and don’t circulate around the entire body, potentially allowing the dosage used to be greater and more effective than standard chemotherapy injected into a vein in the arm. There also may be a decrease in the side effects since the drugs are trapped in the liver instead of circulating throughout the body. Patients generally leave the hospital within two days.
Key Advantages:
- Minimally invasive
- May increases life expectancy
- Generally reduces pain and other symptoms
- May be repeated multiple times as necessary
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