Pathway
Pathway

Guides explain procedures in general. If you feel unwell, contact your care team. In an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Chemoembolization of the liverBefore you start

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12 short steps · about 8 minutes to read

Step through TACE on the model

TACE treats liver cancer from inside the blood vessels. A thin tube carries cancer medicine right to the tumour, then blocks the artery that feeds it, with no cut in the belly.

The short version

  1. Some liver cancers start in the liver, and others spread there from other parts of the body.
  2. In TACE, the IR team passes a thin tube from your groin or wrist to the artery that feeds the tumour, guided by live X-ray.
  3. They put cancer medicine straight into the tumour and then block its blood supply, while the healthy liver keeps getting blood from a large vein.
  4. TACE is usually not a cure, but it can shrink the cancer or slow it down. Most people stay in hospital for a night or two and feel unwell for a week or two after.

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Up nextYour liver sits under your right ribs

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Your referral letter will have the name of your procedure.