Minimally Invasive Procedures
Sometimes, less is more. Our interventional radiologists specialize in minimally invasive procedures, which means shorter recovery, less risk, and more time to enjoy what matters.
Interventional oncology, practiced by interventional radiologists, is one of four parts of a multidisciplinary team approach in the treatment of cancer and cancer-related disorders. The others include medical oncology, surgical oncology and radiation oncology.
Interventional radiologists perform transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), Y-90 liver tumor embolization, microwave tumor ablation, radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation to kill tumors within the body.
TACE involves introducing a small tube, called a catheter into the arteries within the body. The catheter is guided using X-Ray guidance directly into the cancer. The tumor is then treated with lightly concentrated chemotherapy that kills the cancer. This is combined with embolization, a technique to block the blood flow, which intensifies the effect of the chemotherapy.
Y-90 liver tumor embolization is similar to TACE but uses a specialized radiation particle directly injected into the liver cancer. Radiofrequency ablation of tumors can be performed in the liver, kidney and bone. This technique to kill tumors involves placing a needle-like probe directly into the cancer. The probe increases the temperature in the tumor and kills it but preserves the nearby normal tissue.
Cryoablation is similar to radiofrequency ablation but uses a very cold temperature to kill tumors of the lung or kidney.
Interventional oncology procedures provide minimally invasive, targeted treatment of cancer. Image guidance is used in combination with the most current innovations available to treat cancerous tumors while minimizing possible injury to other body organs. Most patients having these procedures are outpatients or require a one-night stay in the hospital.
