How does interventional radiology help treat cancer?
The unique ability to see inside the body and precisely locate tumours allows us to use many techniques to treat cancers.
The main techniques for cancer treatment using IR are :
Cutting off blood supply to tumours through arteries by embolisation, affecting only the tumour and sparing normal tissue. Along with this, specific chemotherapy drugs can be delivered to the target using Transarterial Chemoembolisation (TACE). Radiation can also be given to the tumour in a very high dose using Transarterial Radioembolisation (TARE).
Burning the tumour using Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) or Microwave Ablation (MWA), without having to open up surgically. These techniques allow patients to get a tumour treated and go home the same day.
Freezing the tumour using Cryoablation. In many cases, the tumour can be removed by lowering its temperature and freezing it .
All these techniques can be used in many areas, mainly the liver and the kidney, but also the lungs and the spine. They can be used to cure a cancer, or to take away symptoms, like pain or bleeding.
Apart from directly treating cancer, IR is involved in care of cancer patients in many ways. These include
Providing venous access for chemotherapy by placing PICC Lines, PORTS, Hick Man Catheters etc.
By opening up blocked pathways for bile and urine when these are blocked by cancer. This may be necessary to restore normal function of the liver or the kidney, and is many times required in order to allow treatment to proceed. Similar procedures can allow a patient to swallow when the food pipe (oesophagus) is blocked by cancer. In other cases a feeding problem is solved by making an opening into the stomach and placing a tube (gastrostomy).
Injecting drugs at specific sites to take away the severe pain of many advanced cancers. This can vastly improve the quality of life in cancer patients.
Providing drainage of malignant fluid collections seen in advanced cancer so that patient does not need to come to the hospital repeatedly for removing the fluid, but can easily carry out these tasks at home. This increases patient comfort and reduces the burden of repeated clinic visits.