[Interventional radiology of liver tumors]

Interventional radiology (IR) has considerably grown since the 90s and has currently a central position in the management of patients suffering from cancer. The aim of this paper is to describe the principle, indications, technique and results of three common hepatic oncologic IR procedures: preoperative portal vein embolization, transarterial chemoembolization and radioembolization. Portal vein embolization is performed before a right hepatectomy in order to increase the left liver volume and functional capacity to ensure adequate liver function of the future remnant liver and to prevent the post-hepatectomy liver failure. It is a proven, well-tolerated and effective technique, allowing most of patients to undergo surgery. Transarterial chemoembolization consists of an injection of a chemotherapeutic agent and an embolic agent into the hepatic artery to locally act on liver tumors. It is the standard of care for BCLC stage B hepatocellular carcinoma and is also recommended for the liver metastases treatment, mainly from neuroendocrine tumors. Radioembolization is an IR procedure on the rise that consists of the injection into the hepatic artery of Yttrium 90 loaded microparticles, which will preferentially deliver high dose on the tumors, sparing the adjacent hepatic parenchyma. Radioembolization is recommended for the palliative treatment of HCC and for colorectal cancer liver metastases resistant to treatment. It is a very well tolerated intervention which place has yet to be defined in the management of neuroendocrine tumors liver metastases and unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. IR is a constantly evolving discipline with proven techniques playing a major role in the oncological management of liver tumor patients. In oncology, IR is now the 4th patient management linchpin alongside oncology, surgery and radiotherapy.