Chemo-embolization of inoperable liver tumors

A small percentage of patients suitable for radical surgery require us to introduce alternative palliative methods prolonging the good quality of life in patients with malignant liver tumors. Apart from thermoablation or cryo-ablation, one of the alternative methods with palliative influence on tumors is the chemoembolization of tumors. A group of 18 patients, who underwent chemo-embolization at the Surgical Clinic and Radiodiagnostic Clinic, Medical Faculty, Charles University in Pilsen from 2007 to 2008, were assessed from the point of view of complications, overall survival and the patients' life quality. The most common complication was temperature and pain in the right infracostal area in connection with the performed procedure. The patients' quality of life after chemo-embolization was very good and the time of hospitalization was only 3.5 days on average. We had to perform the procedure repeatedly in 30% of cases. The chemo-embolization was done on inoperable liver metastases of colorectal carcinoma and on inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 5).