Three main methods of interventional treatment for liver cancer

The patient is a 40-year-old male. B-ultrasound revealed liver ascites and MRI examination diagnosed him with liver cancer. After transfer, it was found that his kidneys had failed. The urine occult blood test was +++. He was also in a state of mild confusion and coma. The liver tumor is 7 cm in size and has metastasized to the kidneys. How should it be treated?

Since the patient's liver cancer has metastasized to the kidneys and renal failure has occurred, he is no longer suitable for surgical treatment or overall chemoradiotherapy. Conservative treatment, such as interventional therapy, can be considered.

Interventional treatment of liver cancer refers to a type of regional chemotherapy in which anticancer drugs or embolic agents are injected into the hepatic artery via femoral artery catheterization. It is currently the preferred method for non-laparotomy treatment of liver cancer, and its efficacy has been confirmed.

Among interventional treatments for liver cancer, vascular interventional treatment is the most widely used, mainly including selective hepatic artery perfusion therapy, selective hepatic artery embolization and selective hepatic artery chemoembolization.

1. Selective hepatic artery perfusion

Treatment is to infuse drugs into the artery through a catheter at a dose equal to or less than that of intravenous administration. This can increase the local drug concentration in the target cells and prolong the contact time between the drug and the lesion site, and reduce the total drug dose in the body, thereby achieving the purpose of improving efficacy and reducing side effects.

2. Selective hepatic artery embolization

The embolic agent is selectively injected into the tumor blood vessels and tumor blood supply arteries through a catheter to block the tumor blood supply and block the tumor vascular bed, thereby inhibiting tumor growth. Commonly used embolic agents include gelatin sponge, super-liquidized iodized oil, sodium alginate microspheres, etc.

3. Selective hepatic arterial chemoembolization

That is, both chemotherapy drugs and embolic agents are given through the catheter, destroying the tumor through two pathways.