Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Learn More About Chemotherapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Chat with Us | Email Us
Video: Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Intra-Arterial ChemotherapyIntra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Cancer Treatment Centers of America offers intra-arterial chemotherapy as a treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in the liver. Listen to Dr. Rudolph Willis explain how intra-arterial chemotherapy is administered.
Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy Targets Tumors in the Liver
Intra-arterial chemotherapy is a highly targeted chemotherapy delivery method used in colorectal cancer treatment when tumors have spread (metastasized) to the liver. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), cancer doctors use intra-arterial chemotherapy to target and treat liver tumors which cannot be removed in surgery.
In order to administer the chemotherapy, radiologists at CTCA must first acquire a visual “roadmap” of your system of blood vessels. During a minimally invasive procedure called an angiogram, our radiologists use sophisticated diagnostic imaging tools, such as special X-ray equipment or the Siemens Angio-CT MIYABI system, to get this information.
To perform an angiogram, your radiologist first inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into your femoral artery on your upper right leg (near the groin). Next, your radiologist injects a special dye into the catheter which allows him or her to see the intricate system of blood vessels when computed tomography (CT) scans or X-rays are taken.
The CT or X-ray system produces internal images of your body, which are shown on a nearby monitor. Your radiologist uses the images as a guide to help him or her carefully thread the catheter through the blood vessels. The catheter passes up through the aorta (the largest artery, located in the heart) into the hepatic artery, which transports blood to the liver.
Chemotherapy is then injected through the catheter, delivering colorectal cancer treatment directly to the liver tumor. Thus, intra-arterial chemotherapy allows the anticancer drugs to be concentrated within the liver tumor, thereby destroying the cancer cells.
Next Topic: Chemoembolization for Colorectal Cancer
