Treating Complications From Cancer |
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 Controlling Bleeding |
| Treating Organ Obstruction & Infection |
| Treating Blood Clots |
| Intra-arterial thrombolysis |
| Filter placement |
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Treating Complications Caused by CancerMinimally invasive interventional radiology procedures are proving a valuable weapon in the fight against complications caused by cancers. And while these non-invasive treatments are not a cure, they can extend and improve the quality of your life dramatically.
Interventional Radiology has proven effective in treating:
- Pain
- Obstruction of vital organs
- Blood clots
- Infections
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Treating PainOften the result of a tumor spreading into surrounding nerves and tissues, pain may not only affect the quality of your life and ability to function, it can lower your tolerance for treatment.
For example, patients with cancer of the pancreas or stomach, sometimes experience pain from the spread of their tumor into a network of nerves and blood vessels in the abdomen. To treat this often-debilitating pain using interventional radiology, a catheter is inserted into the affected area. Then an agent that destroys the nerves is introduced.
One of cancer’s most painful complications occurs when the disease spreads, or metastasizes, to bones. Using a minimally invasive technique called transcatheter embolization, the radiologist injects tiny particles the size of grains of sand through a catheter into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor. These particles decrease the tumor’s blood supply, not only reducing pain but reducing the likelihood of a bone fracturing as well.
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Controlling BleedingWhen a cancer spreads to blood vessels and causes hemorrhaging, minimally invasive transcatheter embolization has proven effective in control bleeding. |
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Treating Organ Obstruction & InfectionCancer can obstruct the normal flow of urine or bile, leading to buildups in the body that left untreated are not only painful, they can result in infection, and eventually organ failure. Using a catheter guided by X-ray, an interventional radiologist can drain the fluids. |
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Treating Blood ClotsBlood clots are one of cancer’s most common side effects and can be life threatening if they travel to the brain, heart or lungs. Interventional radiology offers two treatments to reduce the risk they pose. |
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Intra-arterial thrombolysisBy guiding a catheter to the site of the clot and delivering a clot-busting drug, the interventional radiologist is able to break up the clot. |
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Filter placementUsed when a blood clot is detected in the leg. The interventional radiologist guides a small filter to the vessel that receives blood from the lower body and carries it to the heart. The filter then traps the clot if it dislodges before it reaches the heart. |
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