I. Principle

Guided by imaging equipment, this technology precisely inserts a specialized catheter into the tumor's blood supply artery. Chemotherapy drugs are first injected, causing a high concentration of the drug at the tumor site, directly killing tumor cells. Subsequently, an embolic agent (such as gelatin sponge or drug-loaded microspheres) is injected to block the tumor's main blood supply artery, cutting off the tumor's nutrient supply. Simultaneously, this further delays the metabolism and loss of chemotherapy drugs, prolonging the drug's action time and achieving a synergistic therapeutic effect of "starving + poisoning" tumor cells. This enhances the anti-tumor effect while reducing the toxic side effects of systemic chemotherapy.

II. Indications

TACE technology and related derivative technologies are widely used in the treatment of various tumors, with indications covering multiple areas:

1. Liver Cancer: TACE is one of the core methods for treating primary and metastatic liver cancer, especially suitable for patients with advanced liver cancer that cannot be surgically removed. For cases where the tumor is large, located in a special position making surgery impossible, or where the patient's physical condition is poor and cannot tolerate surgery, TACE can effectively control tumor growth and reduce tumor size. Some patients can receive surgical resection after treatment, which significantly prolongs patient survival and improves quality of life. In the comprehensive treatment system for liver cancer, TACE is often used in combination with surgery, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy to form a multi-dimensional treatment plan.

2. Lung Cancer: In the field of lung cancer treatment, the application of TACE technology is called bronchial artery chemoembolization (BACE). Lung cancer's blood supply mainly comes from the bronchial arteries. BACE precisely delivers chemotherapy drugs and embolic agents to the blood supply arteries of the lung cancer lesions. On the one hand, high-concentration chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells; on the other hand, embolization blocks the blood supply to the lesions, inhibiting tumor progression. This technology is mainly suitable for patients with unresectable intermediate-to-late-stage central lung cancer, postoperative recurrence of lung cancer, or those with lung metastases that cannot tolerate systemic chemotherapy due to poor physical condition, unresectable or unablable tumors, as well as lung cancer patients with massive hemoptysis or recurrent hemoptysis requiring simultaneous hemostasis and anti-tumor treatment, prophylactic hemostasis treatment before endoscopic treatment of tracheal lesions, and lung cancer patients with airway stenosis or atelectasis. TACE provides a new minimally invasive option for lung cancer treatment.

3. Applications in Other Tumors: In addition to liver cancer and lung cancer, TACE and TACE technologies also play an important role in the treatment of various solid tumors. In the treatment of renal cancer, for inoperable advanced renal cancer or preoperative renal cancer, embolizing the renal artery can reduce tumor blood supply, control tumor growth, or reduce the risk of surgical bleeding. In the treatment of pelvic tumors (such as rectal cancer and bladder cancer), embolizing the tumor-feeding arteries combined with local chemotherapy can effectively alleviate symptoms caused by tumor progression and improve the patient's quality of life. In the field of gynecological oncology, for uterine fibroids and cervical cancer, blocking the blood supply to the lesions can cause them to shrink. Especially for patients with uterine fibroids who wish to preserve their fertility, TACE technology provides greater advantages compared to surgery. In the treatment of bone tumors, for osteosarcoma and bone metastases, it can reduce the tumor burden, relieve bone pain, and reduce the risk of pathological fractures.

III. Technical Advantages

1. Minimally Invasive: Treatment is completed through vascular puncture, without incision. The puncture point is only a few millimeters, resulting in rapid postoperative recovery, less patient discomfort, shorter hospital stay, and a quick return to normal life and work.

2. Highly Efficient and Precise: Guided by imaging equipment, this treatment allows for precise localization of the tumor's blood supply arteries, concentrating chemotherapy drugs on the lesion while embolizing agents precisely block blood supply. This dual approach directly targets the tumor, resulting in a definite therapeutic effect.

3. High security: Compared to systemic chemotherapy, the high local drug concentration and low systemic blood drug concentration significantly reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs on normal tissues, leading to less adverse reactions.

4. Wide Applicability: Treatment plans can be flexibly adjusted according to different tumor types and patient conditions. It can be used alone or in combination with other therapies such as surgery and targeted therapy, providing more treatment opportunities for patients with advanced-stage tumors.