Embolization therapy for liver cancer

Embolization is another treatment for tumors that cannot be removed. A substance is put into the artery that carries blood to the tumor. This substance blocks the blood flow, which makes it harder for the tumor to grow.

Chemoembolization involves adding a chemo drug to embolization. Studies are now going on to see if this works better than embolization alone.

Radioembolization combines embolization with radiation treatment. It is done by putting small radioactive beads into the artery that feeds the liver. This allows small amounts of radiation to only get at the tumor sites. These methods are still fairly new.

Problems after embolization could include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, infection in the liver, gallbladder swelling, and blood clots in the liver. Serious complications are rare, but they can happen.