Embolotherapy is used to treat certain hypervascular cancer tumors including:

:::	Primary and metastatic liver cancer
:::	Certain tumors in the brain, spine, bone, kidney, etc.

:: Non-operable Tumors

By selectively blocking the blood supply to inoperable (for reasons of patient health or widespread coverage) tumors, embolotherapy is designed to destroy and shrink the tumor. For cancer patients, this palliative (not a cure but beneficial to quality of life) treatment can provide a reduction in pain and improvement of the nervous system.

:: Pre-operative Therapy before Tumor Resection

Embolotherapy may also be used prior to the surgical removal of hypervascular tumors to prevent blood loss during surgery and to enhance surgical removal of part of the affected organ through tumor destruction and shrinkage. This pre-surgical procedure reduces the rate of complications and risks associated with the surgical removal of hypervascular tumors.

:: Chemoembolization in Cancer Therapy

In chemoembolization, cancer drugs, most commonly 5-fluorouracil, cis-platin, adriamycin, or mitomycin, are combined with the embolic agent. The therapeutic effect of the embolization is combined with a very high and sustained concentration of the drug at the site of the disease with minimal toxic side-effects to the entire system. Chemoembolization is used extensively in Asia for the treatment of primary liver cancer, a very common disease in the region.

:: Primary Liver Cancer

Current Therapies

Liver cancer patients may be treated surgically by removing the part of the liver where cancer is found; or, by removing the entire liver and replacing it with a transplant, or, by cryosurgery (removal following freezing of the organ). However, over 70% of primary liver cancers are inoperable and are treated with either radiation or cancer drugs (chemotherapy).

Radiation therapy is used to shrink and destroy the tumor. Because it is difficult to localize the radiation exposure to the liver tumor, external beam radiation therapy often results in damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, and is therefore not widely used. New ways of targeting radiation at the cancer site are being developed and tested. These include: internal radiation therapy using radiation "seeds"; drugs which make the cancer cells more sensitive to radiation (radio-sensitizers); and radio-labeled antibodies – antibodies which have radioactive substance attached to them – which specifically target the cancer cells.

Chemotherapy is also used to control the cancer by selectively killing the cancer cells. Taking cancer drugs orally or by injection has been shown to be of little benefit in treating liver cancer. Similar to the limitations of external beam radiation therapy, therapeutic doses of cancer drugs have a damaging effect on normal surrounding tissue. Methods of localized chemotherapy – small implantable pumps, injectable slow release depots – are being developed to overcome the limitation of subjecting the entire body to cancer drugs.

Overall, it is clear that current therapies for the treatment of liver cancer are less than satisfactory and new alternative and complementary procedures are required.

:: Embolotherapy and Chemoembolotherapy in Liver Cancer

Embolotherapy and chemoembolotherapy (the addition of cancer drugs to blocking agents) are promising alternatives to radiation and chemotherapy, for the treatment of liver cancer. The selective embolization of the hepatic artery (the main artery to the liver), to block the blood flow to the cancer tumor, will destroy the tumor. This therapy may be improved by delivering cancer drugs directly to the tumor site. The drugs may be injected between the blockage and the tumor, or released from the embolic agent itself.

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Related Sites

:::	American Cancer Society
	The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide, community- based voluntary health organization. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the ACS has state divisions and more than 3,400 local offices.
:::	Clinical Trials And Noteworthy Treatments For Brain Tumors
	Brain tumor treatment information.
:::	Brain Tumor information and resources
	Brain Tumor information and resources including up to the minute information from leading Neurologists here at NeurologyChannel.com.
:::	Brain Tumor News
	Current brain tumor information, treatments and protocols, including acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, pituitary tumors, metastases and others as well.
:::	National Brain Tumor Foundation
	Find out helpful information about Anaplastic Astrocytoma, otherwise known as brain tumors and brain cancer, and advice and leadership on this subject from professionals.
:::	What to Ask the Brain Tumor Doctor
	Asking specific questions can help understanding and selecting the appropriate treatment. Tips on what to bring for the consultation, what will be asked and the examination.