What techniques are used in oncologic intervention?

Today, there are more methods than ever before to treat cancer and manage its side effects using interventional radiology. Some of the most popular and effective techniques include:

• Vascular techniques that deliver treatment specifically to tumors while also cutting off the flow of blood to tumors so tumor cells are deprived of nutrients and oxygen they need to grow and replicate. Two of the most common and effective vascular techniques include radioembolization, which delivers special beads embedded with radioactive isotopes directly to the tumor, and chemoembolization which uses a similar technique to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to the tumor, sealing off blood flow so the medication remains in place.
• Tumor ablation techniques designed to destroy tumor tissue using specific types of focused energy, including radiofrequency and microwave energy, or using freezing temperatures (cryotherapy).
• Liver-directed procedures specifically designed to target hard-to-treat liver cancers while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
• Precise placement of ports and PICC lines to enable chemotherapeutic agents and other medications to be administered and blood samples to be drawn without the need for repeated needle sticks.

Plus, interventional radiology techniques can be used to administer pain medications right where they’re needed for faster and more effective results, and they can also be used to obtain highly accurate biopsies for more precise diagnosis and disease management that can be optimized for each patient’s unique needs.