Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive treatment for malignant tumors of the liver performed by a specially trained interventional radiologist.
This treatment delivers large, highly concentrated doses of cancer drugs directly to the liver tumors while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues, without most of the negative side effects of traditional intravenous chemotherapy.
During chemoembolization, an occluding agent is also administered to partially block the blood vessels and starve the tumor of its blood supply. Tailored chemoembolization regimens are available for metastatic disease to the liver as well as liver cancer in patients who are not candidates for surgery.
A highly qualified interventional radiologist will carefully insert and navigate a catheter from an artery in the groin or arm into the artery supplying the liver. A tiny microcatheter is then advanced to the vein supplying the tumor(s). High doses of targeted chemotherapy are delivered to the tumor, suspended either in a special oily medium or bound to beads.
This treatment is an outpatient procedure performed in the office under conscious sedation.