Transarterial therapies for primary liver tumors.

Overview

Over the last decade, transarterial therapies have gained worldwide acceptance as standard of care for inoperable primary liver cancer. Survival times after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) continue to improve as the technique and selection criteria are refined. Transarterial treatments, frequently provided in an outpatient setting, are now safely and effectively being applied to patients with even advanced malignancy or partially decompensated cirrhosis. In the coming years, newer transarterial therapies such as radiation segmentectomy, boosted-transarterial radioembolzation, combined TACE-ablation, TACE-portal vein embolization, and transarterial infusion of cancer-specific metabolic inhibitors promise to continue improving survival and quality of life.