Stomach Cancer Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Learn More About Metastatic Tumors: Chat with Us | Email Us
Video: Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Intra-Arterial ChemotherapyIntra-Arterial Chemotherapy
Cancer doctors at CTCA hospitals offer intra-arterial chemotherapy as a treatment for metastatic disease in the liver. Listen to Dr. Rudolph Willis explain how intra-arterial chemotherapy works.
Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Metastatic Stomach Cancer
In advanced stages of stomach cancer, the disease may metastasize (i.e., spread) to the liver. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we offer multiple options for treating tumors that develop in the liver. Intra-arterial chemotherapy (chemo), a highly targeted method of delivering chemotherapy to liver tumors that cannot be surgically removed, is one such option.
To administer intra-arterial chemotherapy, a radiologist (i.e., a doctor that specializes in obtaining and interpreting internal images of the body) first uses advanced diagnostic imaging tools to acquire a visual map of your blood vessels. For this minimally invasive procedure, your radiologist inserts a thin, flexible tube (e.g., catheter) into your femoral artery on your upper right leg. Next, your radiologist injects dye into the catheter. The special dye allows him or her to see your intricate system of blood vessels when computed tomography (CT) scans or X-rays are taken.
Once the CT scans or X-rays have been taken, they are shown on a nearby monitor. Your radiologist uses the images to help him or her carefully guide the catheter through blood vessels. He or she threads the catheter up through your aorta (the largest artery, located in the heart) into the hepatic artery, which transports blood to your liver.
Your radiologist then injects chemotherapy into the catheter, delivering the treatment to your liver tumor. Because the chemotherapy is concentrated within the tumor, intra-arterial chemotherapy destroys cancer cells and minimizes harm to healthy cells.
Next Topic: Chemoembolization for Stomach Cancer
