Interventional Oncology
What is Interventional Oncology?
Interventional oncology is a rapidly growing, minimally invasive therapy for patients with liver, colorectal, lung, bone/soft tissue, kidney, and metastatic cancers. The interventional oncology program at Midwest Radiology uses targeted, minimally invasive procedures performed with the help of image guidance to diagnose, treat, and relieve the symptoms of cancer.
Cancer therapies, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, have many side effects. That’s less so with interventional oncology. Rather than removing tumors through open surgical procedures, image-guided procedures can be performed in place of or in combination with other cancer treatments to provide truly comprehensive care.
Who is a Candidate for Interventional Oncology?
In general, interventional oncology procedures are recommended for patients whose cancer cannot be surgically removed or effectively treated with systemic chemotherapy. These procedures are also frequently used in combination with other therapies provided by other members of the cancer team. Cancer patients are referred to interventional radiologists to integrate minimally invasive treatments, when possible, with the goal of reducing the need for invasive surgeries.
What Types of Treatments are Available?
Some interventional oncology treatments are regional, as when treating cancers involving several areas of the liver with chemoembolization or radioembolization. Other procedures are more localized, as when treating focal lesions in the kidney, liver, lung, and bone with cryoablation (freezing), or microwave or radiofrequency ablation (heating). Interventional radiologists may also perform diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopies or endoscopies. Each of our Vascular and Interventional radiologists collaborates regularly with the other doctors and clinicians on the patient’s care team, monitoring the patient’s progress, making adjustments to the treatment plan when necessary, and helping patients manage side effects and support their quality of life as part of an integrative care model.
What are the Benefits of Interventional Oncology?
Cancer therapies, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, have many side effects. That’s less so with interventional oncology. Rather than removing tumors through open surgical procedures, image guidance is used in combination with other available treatment innovations to treat cancerous tumors while minimizing possible injury to other body organs. Most patients having these procedures are outpatients or require a one-night stay in the hospital.
