Transarterial chemoembolization abroad
Transarterial chemoembolization has been used for decades for cancer treatment in developed countries. This type of treatment allows doctors to destroy tumors safely and with minimally traumatic methods. The procedure can be performed even in patients for whom surgical treatment is contraindicated. The technique of chemoembolization is constantly being improved, so doctors have more and more options for successful cancer treatment. You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to find the transarterial chemoembolization procedure cost and choose a medical care program at the best prices.
Table of Contents
The essence of the treatment method
Chemoembolization combines the following two types of cancer treatment: embolization and regional chemotherapy.
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Embolization is the blocking of arteries by emboli. This procedure can be used to deprive any tissue of its blood supply. In patients with cancer, doctors close the blood vessels that feed the tumor.
Regional chemotherapy is the introduction of cytostatics into the artery that feeds the tumor. Doctors can use an average of 10 times lower doses of drugs and still get better results compared to systemic chemotherapy. Since the drugs are injected directly into the problematic organ, the risk of developing severe side effects is minimal.
In countries with advanced medicine, chemoembolization is carried out using drug-eluting microspheres. Doctors use them to clog blood vessels. Chemotherapy drugs are contained inside, which are gradually released over several days or weeks and destroy cancer cells that have managed to survive in conditions of insufficient blood supply.
Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed from the inside of blood vessels under X-ray guidance. This treatment method does not require a long period of rehabilitation, but post-embolization syndrome may develop with pain and fever, which persist from 1 to 3 days after the procedure.
What types of cancer can be treated with chemoembolization?
Doctors most often provide treatment of liver cancer with percutaneous embolization or suppress metastatic foci in this organ. Liver metastases develop in many patients with colon cancer but can also be found in other advanced diseases.
Chemoembolization for liver tumors is very effective and safe at the same time since cancer cells usually feed on arterial blood, and healthy parenchyma is supplied from the portal vein by 70-80%. This means that the branches of the hepatic artery can be blocked completely, with minimal risk of worsening liver function and excellent results.
Chemoembolization is less commonly used for other types of cancer, such as cervical, lung, stomach, and rectal malignant tumors.
Treatment results
Chemoembolization is usually used for the advanced stages of cancer. It does not set as its goal a complete cure for the disease but shrinks the tumor several times. The procedure sometimes makes cancer operable. After chemoembolization, doctors can try to cure cancer by removing the tumor.
In many types of cancer, chemoembolization can improve the long-term survival rate of patients. It helps to bring the disease into a state of long-term remission.
The procedure can sometimes be used as an auxiliary method, increasing the effectiveness of other treatment methods. For example, in the treatment of adrenal cancer, embolization is carried out a few days prior to surgery to reduce the risk of developing a crisis associated with the release of hormones. In some cases, preoperative arterial embolization can be performed to reduce blood loss.
You can go to one of the hospitals abroad to undergo your diagnostics and determine if chemoembolization is suitable for you as a cancer treatment. You can find the cost of the procedure and choose a medical care program on the Booking Health website. The employees from this company will help you to choose the most suitable hospital and arrange your trip.