Interventional Oncology in New Jersey
Interventional Oncology
It is commonly used to treat:
- Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
- Metastatic Liver Cancer (colorectal cancer and others)
- Kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma)
- Lung cancer (bronchogenic carcinoma)
- Bone cancer (bone metastases from other cancers as well as multiple myeloma)
Treatment Options
New Jersey Liver Cancer Treatment & Chemoembolization
Alternative Treatment for Inoperable Liver Cancer
Surgical removal of liver tumor or liver transplantation offers the best chance for a cure. Unfortunately, the majority of liver tumors are inoperable because the tumor may be too large or has grown into major blood vessels or other vital structures. Sometimes, many small tumors are spread throughout the liver, making surgery too risky or impractical. Surgical removal is not possible for more than two-thirds of primary liver cancer patients and 90 percent of patients with secondary liver cancer.
Historically, chemotherapy drugs have been ineffective at curing liver cancer.
Fortunately, The Vascular Institute at AMI offers an alternative way to treat liver cancer. Call us today at (877) 595-9512 or contact us online to learn more about our New Jersey liver cancer treatment and chemoembolization.
Your First Step
Diagnosing Liver Cancer
There are a number of tests that can help in the diagnosis of cancer, including blood tests, physical examination and a variety of imaging techniques including X-rays (e.g., chest X-rays and mammograms); computed tomography (CT); magnetic resonance (MRI) and ultrasound. Usually, however, the final diagnosis cannot be made until a biopsy is performed. In a biopsy, a sample of tissue from the tumor or other abnormality is obtained and examined by a pathologist.
Needle Biopsy
Needle biopsy, also called image-guided biopsy, is usually performed using a live-moving X-ray technique (fluoroscopy) computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound to guide the procedure. In many cases, needle biopsies are performed with the aid of equipment that creates a computer-generated image and allows radiologists to see an area inside the body from various angles. This "stereotactic" equipment helps them pinpoint the exact location of the abnormal tissue.
Needle biopsy is typically an outpatient procedure with very infrequent complications; less than 1 percent of patients develop bleeding or infection. In about 90 percent of patients, needle biopsy provides enough tissue for the pathologist to determine the cause of the abnormality.
Advantages of needle biopsy include:
- With image guidance, the abnormality can be biopsied while important nearby structures such as blood vessels and vital organs can be seen and avoided.
- The patient is spared the pain, scarring and complications associated with open surgery.
- Recovery times are usually shorter, and patients can more quickly resume normal activities.
What Is Chemoembolization?
Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which spreads throughout the whole body, chemoembolization is a minimally invasive, targeted treatment. During the chemoembolization procedure, a small catheter is placed to provide chemotherapeutic drugs directly to the liver. In addition to these chemotherapeutic drugs, a blood vessel occluding agent is also injected into the catheter. The result is that the tumor becomes starved of its blood supply due to the occluding agent. Additionally, the tumor receives a concentrated dose of the chemotherapy because it is less diluted than standard intravenous chemotherapy. This two-part treatment is effective at slowing or stopping tumor growth, and, in some cases, even significantly shrinking the tumor.
When it comes to planning your cancer treatment, we know you want the best. We can make that happen. Get in touch with our multidisciplinary team of vascular surgeons and vascular interventional radiologists at (877) 595-9512.
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