Cancer Therapy Procedures
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- Radiofrequency Ablation - Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions and Radiofrequency Ablation
- Vascular Access - Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions and Central Venous Access Catheters (CVAC)
Liver Chemoembolization - Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions (MISS) & Liver Chemoembolization
Embolization is the process of injecting small solid particles or special liquid agents into the blood vessel feeding the tumor to stop the blood flow. The lack of blood deprives the tumor of needed oxygen and nutrients and eventually cancerous causes cells to die. The tumor blood supply is stopped with small pieces of material that have been saturated with chemotherapy drugs. Once the blood flow has stopped, the tumor is soaked in a very high concentration of drugs for a prolonged period of time. Thus, the tumor cells die very quickly. Thus, the tumor cells die very quickly. Below is a sketch that demonstrates the mechanism of chemoembolization:
A
variety of materials may be used in the embolization process. Most
embolization materials only cause temporary blockage of blood flow to
the tumor cells, though in some cases materials will be used that can
cause permanent blockage.
Chemoembolization attacks the
cancerous cells in two ways: it delivers a very high concentration of
chemotherapy drugs directly into the tumor without exposing the entire
body to the effects of those drugs, and it cuts off blood supply to the
tumor, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients and trapping the drugs at
the tumor site so that they can act more effectively. This procedure is
most beneficial to patients whose disease is limited to the liver. Some
success has been demonstrated with patients whose cancer has spread to
other areas. Patients with kidney disease, blood coagulation problems,
or known allergies to contrast agents are not good candidates for this
procedure.
The chemoembolization procedure takes place in a
hospital setting. The actual procedure depends on the embolizing agent
being used. Such issues as drug administration, anesthetic requirements,
length of time of procedure, and potential side effects differ with
each agent. Chemoembolization is considered to be a relatively safe and
effective method of treating unresectable liver tumors. The overall risk
of the procedure is related to your general underlying health. People
with jaundice, severe cirrhosis or kidney failure have an increased
chance of complications.
Under x-ray guidance a small catheter
is inserted into the femoral artery (located in the groin) and advanced
into the liver artery. The embolic material and drugs are then injected
through the catheter into the liver tumor. The procedure usually lasts 2
- 3 hours.
The majority of patients experience some side
effects which may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or fever.
Various drugs can be administered that will control these symptoms and
keep you comfortable. The symptoms will stop after 3 - 5 days. Studies
show that patients with hepatocellular cancer undergoing this procedure
may experience tumor shrinkage as well as an increased survival rate.
The effectiveness of this therapy for patients with metastatic colon
cancer is currently undergoing active investigation.