Chemo Infusion and Chemoembolization of Liver (cont.)
What happens to the patient after this procedure
is done?
The patient generally stays in the hospital overnight for observation. A
sandbag is placed over the groin to compress the area where the catheter was
inserted into the femoral artery. The nurses periodically check for signs of
bleeding from the femoral artery puncture. They also check for the pulse in the
foot on the side of the catheter insertion to be sure that the femoral artery is
not blocked as a result of the procedure. (Blockage would be signaled by the
absence of a pulse.)
Generally, the liver tests increase (get worse) during the two to three days
after the procedure. This worsening of the liver tests is actually due to death
of the tumor (and some non-tumor) cells. The patient may experience some
post-procedure abdominal pain and low-grade fever. However, severe abdominal
pain and vomiting suggest that a more serious complication has developed.
Imaging studies of the liver are repeated in six to 12 weeks to assess the size of
the tumor in response to the treatment.
Chemoembolization of the Liver (Trans-Arterial Chemoembolization or TACE)
How does chemoembolization differ from arterial
chemotherapy infusion?
Both techniques takes advantage of the fact that liver cancer (hepatocellular
carcinoma, HCC) is a very vascular (contains many blood vessels) tumor and gets
its blood supply exclusively from the branches of the hepatic artery.
Chemoembolization (TACE) is similar to intra-arterial infusion of chemotherapy.
But in TACE, there is the additional step of blocking (embolizing) the small
blood vessels with different types of compounds, such as gelfoam or even small
metal coils.
How does chemoembolization compare with arterial chemotherapy
infusion?
Thus, TACE has the advantages of exposing the tumor to high concentrations of
chemotherapy and confining the agents locally since they are not carried away by
the blood stream. At the same time, this technique deprives the tumor of its
needed blood supply, which can result in the damage or death of the tumor
cells.
The type and frequency of complications of TACE and
intra-arterial chemotherapy are similar. The potential disadvantage of TACE is
that blocking the feeding vessels to the tumor(s) may make future attempts at
intra-arterial infusions impossible. Moreover, so far, there are no head-to-head studies directly
comparing the effectiveness of intra-arterial infusion versus chemoembolization.
Next: What about mixing the chemotherapy with lipiodol? »
- Chemotherapy - Explains chemotherapy, a drug treatment to kill cancer cells. Article includes descriptions, uses, and side effects, and care support.
- Liver Cancer - Get information on liver cancer, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, staging, prognosis, treatment, and prevention.
- The Digestive System - Read about the digestive system from chewing food, swallowing, emptying into the stomach, through the small and large intestines, and then expelling waste through the anus.
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