Transcatheter therapy for malignant neoplasms.

Interventional radiology has developed into a subspecialty with application in the treatment and palliation of patients with advanced malignant diseases. A directed catheter delivers high concentrations of chemotherapy directly into the tumor bed. Embolic particles may be injected to stop hemorrhage or to occlude the blood supply of a cancer, resulting in pain relief or tumor shrinkage. These techniques can be incorporated into a multidisciplinary approach to cancer.