Cancer Treatment and Interventional Oncology

A disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

What is Cancer?

Chemical carcinogens Ionizing radiations Viral and bacterial

infections Genetic or inherited

cancers Hormonal changes Immune system

dysfunction

Cancer Causing Agents

Local symptoms- Tumor, pain, bleeding, ulcers or sores over the skin etc.

Systemic symptoms- Weight loss, poor appetite, fatigue and wasting, excessive sweating especially at nights etc.

Symptoms of spread of cancer - Swelling of the nearing lymph nodes, bleeding, coughing.

Pain, depression and fatigue Gastrointestinal system symptoms- Difficulty in

swallowing, Tastelessness, Feeling full, hiccupping, Mouth ulcers, sores Nausea and vomiting, Diarrhea, Constipation.

Type of Cancer Symptoms

Respiratory system symptoms- Difficulty in breathing, Cough with excessive sputum, hemoptysis.

Cardiovascular system symptoms- Swelling of face and feet, Palpitations.

Neurological symptoms - Insomnia, Excessive sleep, Distress, Depression, Forgetfulness, Anxiety, paralysis, Deafness, Blindness.

Skin related symptoms- Itching, Dry skin, ulcers, Abnormal changes in warts or moles.

Urological and genital symptoms- Pain or difficulty in urination and itching in the vagina, Amenorrhea.

Type of Cancer Symptoms

Tobacco use Alcohol use Overweight and obesity Dietary factors Physical inactivity Chronic infections Environmental and occupational risks including ionizing

and non-ionizing radiation

Risk factors for cancer

Stats- Cancer Occurence

Interventional radiology techniques are quickly becoming standard therapies for cancer treatment. Interventional oncology is the name for this new, high tech and evolving field of non-surgical cancer therapy.

Cancer Treatment

Surgery Tumor ablation Tumor embolization Radiation therapy Targeted therapy Chemotherapy

Types of Liver Cancer Treatment

This procedure involves placing a very small tube into the artery supplying the liver. The small vessels in the liver are then partially blocked with small particles carrying a mixture of chemotherapy. This technique delivers the chemotherapy into the tumor, so that it remains in the mass, greatly increasing the effective dose of chemotherapy while at the same time decreasing the toxicity to the rest of the body.

Chemoembolization

A tiny catheter is threaded into the liver artery, then microscopic glass beads impregnated with a highly radioactive element are injected into the liver tumors, giving them a higher dose of radiation than can be safely delivered by external beam radiation treatment. This liver cancer treatment is effective against primary cancer of the liver, but new research is showing that it can be effective in treating metastatic cancer in the liver from colorectal cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and even breast cancer.

Yttrium-90 microsphere therapy for liver tumors

This is used to destroy cancer deposits deep in the body without invasive surgery. A thin needle is placed into a tumor using ultrasound guidance. Electromagnetic energy is emitted from the needle destroying the cancer. This technique is used for relatively small tumors in certain organs and used to treat tumors of the liver, kidney, spine and lung.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Cryotherapy is used to freeze tumors, using imaging guidance. It is another effective local treatment of tumors that have not spread yet. Using image guidance, a tumor deep within the body is identified, localized in 3 dimensions with CT scanning or ultrasound, then small needles are placed painlessly through the skin into the tumor. Liquid Argon gas is run through the needles, creating an iceball, freezing and killing the tumor, without invasive surgery.

Cryotherapy of cancer

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