Cancer Treatment

Known as interventional oncology, the various methods that our interventional radiologists use to treat cancerous tumors within the body include:

Radioembolization

Also known as “Y-90 radioembolization,” this technique delivers highly targeted radiation therapy to liver tumors through the tumor’s own blood supply. Yttrium-90 is a radioactive element with a very short half-life of 2.5 days. During a radioembolization procedure, tiny microspheres that contain this element are advanced through the hepatic artery to the blood vessels that feed the tumor. Once released, they deliver targeted radiation directly to the tumor while sparing healthy liver tissue. Often combined with other therapies, Y-90 radioembolization can help extend or improve a patient’s quality of life.

Chemoembolization

Also sometimes called “transarterial chemoembolization,” this technique delivers chemotherapy precisely into the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue and minimizing the toxic effects normally associated with systemic chemotherapy.

Microwave Ablation

This minimally invasive procedure destroys cancer cells and tumors using extreme heat. Also known as “thermal ablation,” the procedure can be performed on its own, as part of systemic therapy like chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or during open surgery. It is most often used when tumors are small (less than 1.5 inches in diameter), and are located in the kidneys, liver or lungs.

Cryoablation

Sometimes called cryotherapy or cryosurgery, this procedure uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy cancer tissue. The freezing process disrupts cancer cell membranes, causing them to die. It is used to treat tumors for which surgical removal is difficult or impossible, and most often used for tumors in the bones, kidneys, lungs and liver.