HEPATOBILIARY INTERVENTION
TREATMENT OF LIVER CANCER
TRANSARTERIAL CHEMOEMBOLISATION (TACE):
TACE is a localized endovascular method of administering chemotherapy directly to a liver tumor via a catheter. An agent called Chemoembolic may be transferred via a mixture with lipiodol, which is known as Conventional TACE, or as an injection of drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE). TACE attacks the cancer in two ways. First, a very dense concentration of chemotherapy or anti-cancer drug is delivered directly into the tumour, preventing the exposure of entire body from the effects of these high concentration drugs. Second, in this procedure, the blood supply to the tumour is cut, trapping the anti-cancer drugs at the tumor and disconnecting the tumour from oxygen and nutrients which is needed to grow.
RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION AND MICROWAVE ABLATION:
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are treatments that use image guidance to place a needle through the skin into a liver tumor. In RFA, high-frequency electrical currents are passed through an electrode in the needle, creating a small region of heat. In MWA, microwaves are created from the needle to create a small region of heat. The heat destroys the liver cancer cells.