Abdominal MRI Santa Fe
Chemoembolization is the most effective option in people who have liver cancer and who cannot tolerate surgery or radiation therapy. First, an MRI or CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis may be performed to show the area where cancer cells are located. Then, thin tubes (catheters) are inserted into an artery or vein in the groin, neck, or arm. These catheters are guided to the area where blood vessels (arteries) feed tumors in the liver or bile ducts. The catheters release radiopharmaceuticals (molecules that contain radioactive material) into these blood vessels.
What Is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells. It is most often given as a liquid into the vein (IV), but it can also be given as a pill or injection. The most common side effects are hair loss and nausea, but there may be more serious side effects as well. Chemotherapy kills any cells that divide rapidly, which includes cancer cells and healthy cells, such as those in your mouth, stomach, and intestines. Most chemotherapy treatments take about one hour to complete.
How Does It Work?
Abdominal MRI Santa Fe uses a two-step process to create a new way to treat liver cancer. First, a patient is put on an embolization catheter and threaded through the bloodstream. Then, chemotherapy agents are given intravenously and allowed to travel from the infusion site outward. The two substances work together in different parts of the body to deliver the medication directly to where it is needed without putting extra stress on other areas. The process typically takes about 90 minutes and when finished, our patients usually feel less pain after treatment with chemoembolize than without it!
Who Should Be Considered For Treatment?
If you have liver cancer that is not operable or inoperable, chemoembolization may be an option. Abdominal MRI Santa Fe is a center of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic malignancies. We provide MR, CT, and PET-CT imaging, as well as diagnostic surgical services. Our multidisciplinary team of experts includes surgeons, oncologists, gastroenterologists, and radiologists. We treat patients who are up to 80 years old.
Additional Considerations
Liver cancer can be scary. That’s why we want to share our knowledge of treatments with you and try to give you some peace of mind. Abdominal MRI Santa Fe works hard to develop new options or updates on old methods so that we can better treat the conditions that we know cause people the most pain and fear.
Chemoembolization targets liver cancer — more specifically, cancer that originated in the liver or spread there from other areas in the body. HOW DOES IT WORK? Chemoembolization may be a big word. But it’s a simple two-step process: First, gas is injected into a catheter that is then inserted through an incision made just below your ribs into your vascular system.
What Happens Next?
Percutaneous catheter placement (a thin tube) in the hepatic artery and access to the tumor is made possible through this technique. The liver tumor is then treated with radioactive microspheres, which are injected directly into the liver tumor. These microspheres help to shrink and destroy cancerous tissue. This type of therapy does not get rid of all cancer cells so there may be a need to perform additional surgery or administer more chemoembolization treatments down the road. A CT scan or abdominal MRI in Santa Fe, NM can show if it has been successful and at what stage treatment is necessary moving forward.
