Minimally invasive, modern cancer treatments using chemoembolization, tumor ablation and radioembolization available by GCM interventional oncologists
Cancer Treatments
Modern cancer treatment involves the coordination of multiple disciplines including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, oncological surgeons, and interventional oncologists. All concurrently apply their therapies to attack cancer from multiple fronts. As part of the Johns Hopkins team, our interventional oncologists play an important role in the multidisciplinary treatment of our cancer patients.
Liver Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer and other Cancers
Colorectal cancer frequently metastasizes to the liver and the tumors in the liver can be difficult to treat even with advanced chemotherapy. Randomized controlled trials have shown that combining systemic chemotherapy (chemotherapy given through a vein) with our directed radioembolization, chemoembolization, and/or tumor ablation, can substantially increase a patient’s survival. Furthermore, when systemic chemotherapy has failed to kill the tumors in the liver, our treatments often succeed.
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Liver Cancer
Chemoembolization or thermal ablation is currently the treatment of choice for most primary liver cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma. Our interventional oncologists treat more primary liver cancer than anyone in the DC-Maryland area.
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Lung Cancer
The standard treatment for early stage lung cancer (cancer that has not spread outside the lung) is surgical resection, but for elderly patients or patients with other health problems, surgery can be risky and the recovery lengthy. Alternatively, we can treat early stage lung cancer with tumor ablation which has 5-year outcomes almost as good as surgery but with vastly superior recovery. In fact, most of our patients go home within 24 hours. Because the procedure is so safe, we can treat virtually all patients regardless of age or other medical problems.
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Kidney Cancer
The incidence of kidney cancer is rising, in part because the incidental detection of renal cancer (RCC) from imaging exams that are performed for other reasons. Surgical treatment is not necessarily the best option, especially for older patients. We can often effectively treat these cancers with tumor ablation with almost all patients going home within 24 hours. Click here to read an article written by one of our interventional oncologists on radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation of renal cell carcinoma.
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Pain from Bone Metastases
Bone metastases are first treated with radiation and chemotherapy, but there is a maximum limit in the amount of radiation that can be safely employed. Our interventional oncologists thermally ablate troublesome bone metastases that do not respond to typical treatments.
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What is an Interventional Oncologist?
An interventional oncologist is an interventional radiologist who has specific training and expertise to treat cancer. An interventional radiologist is a doctor who uses image guidance (such as x-rays, ultrasound, CT, or MRI) to guide their instruments within the body rather than making surgical incisions. Given the highly specific nature of interventional oncologists, they are usually part of a multidisciplinary team that provides care for a cancer patient.
What is Tumor Ablation?
Thermal ablation is also called radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, or cryoablation, depending upon the heat source selected for the procedure. It involves inserting a thin needle through the skin into the center of the cancer and applying intense heat (or cold) which instantly kills the tumor. Because the procedure is so safe, almost all patients regardless of age or other medical problems can undergo the procedure, and almost all go home within 24 hours.
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What is Chemoembolization?
In chemoembolization, anti-cancer drugs are injected in very high concentrations directly into the blood vessel feeding a cancerous tumor. Because we inject the chemotherapy directly into the tumor, we can inject concentrations much higher than can be injected systemically through the veins. The chemotherapy is usually packaged within tiny medicine releasing beads that plug up the blood vessels that supply blood to the tumor, in effect trapping the chemotherapy in the tumor and cutting off nutrient rich blood from reaching the tumor.
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What is Radioembolization?
Similar to chemoembolization, radioembolization delivers treatment directly to the liver. The difference is that radioembolization treats the tumor with radiation particles that block the blood supply to the tumor while delivering high dose radiation directly to the tumor.
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Am I a candidate for any of these Treatments?
If you or your patient possibly falls into any of the above categories, or if you are unsure, please contact us for a consultation at (301) 896-3202. We will be happy to see you or your patient in our interventional oncology clinic. More importantly, our patients are discussed at our multidisciplinary conference so our recommendations will represent the composite of a wide range of specialists all dedicated to cancer care.