Regional Cancer Therapy

Cancer may spread from any part of the body to other parts of the body—a process known as metastasis. One of the most common organs where cancer metastasizes is the liver, where cancer cells may grow for months or years before they are detected. 

Unfortunately, it may not be possible to remove liver tumors with surgery. This is because the tumor may be too large, or multiple tumors may have grown into major blood vessels or other vital structures. In fact, surgical removal is not possible for more than two-thirds of primary liver cancer patients and 90 percent of patients with secondary liver cancer.

Because tumors need a blood supply to grow, they can be treated by blocking the blood supply. This is where the interventional radiologist comes in, performing an assortment of procedures to either block the blood supply to the tumor or destroying the tumor directly. Unlike other treatments that can damage healthy tissue within the body, interventional radiology treatments are extremely precise.

The embolization procedure effectively cuts off the blood supply feeding the tumor, causing it to shrink. Sometimes, chemotherapy may be delivered directly to the tumor during the embolization procedure. This is referred to as chemoembolization. 

Radiofrequency ablation is a procedure that uses very high heat to destroy tumor cells directly. Another procedure known as cryoablation uses an extremely cold gas to “freeze” tumors in order to obliterate them. Since every patient is different, the interventional radiologists at SVR will use the best treatment procedure based on the patient’s unique circumstances.