Transarterial approaches to primary and secondary hepatic malignancies

Transarterial therapies in the setting of primary and secondary liver malignancies are becoming an essential part of the oncology landscape. Most patients with hepatic malignancies are not candidates for curative surgical intervention, thereby warranting exploration of alternative means of treatment that preserves quality of life while providing clinical benefit. Herein, the data for intra-arterial chemoinfusion, transarterial chemoembolization, drug-eluting beads, and radioembolization are discussed in the setting of malignancies within the liver; outcome data relating to survival, time-to-progression, time-to-recurrence, and adverse events are presented. Further data regarding different treatment paradigms for hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic colorectal carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumours, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are also provided. In light of these and forthcoming data, transarterial therapies seem to offer a viable treatment pathway for select populations of patients.