Oncologic Vascular Procedures

Intra-arterial Chemotherapy

Tumors receive their blood supply from arteries whereas the blood exiting a tumor is drained via veins. Chemotherapy that is injected into blood vessels is most often administered into a vein. Chemotherapy given into a vein travels to the heart, through the pulmonary blood vessels and then to the tumor.

In select cases, chemotherapy may be administered directly into the artery (intra-arterial chemotherapy) supplying a tumor. The reason for giving chemotherapy by this method is to treat the tumor with the chemotherapy first before it travels throughout the body. In humans, this technique has been shown to increase the intra-tumoral chemotherapy concentration (the chemotherapy concentrated within a tumor) and may decrease side effects. Intra-arterial chemotherapy is not recommended for all cases, but it may be considered in certain instances. Due to the increased technical aspect of the procedure, anesthesia and a small incision are required to perform this procedure.

The administration of intra-arterial chemotherapy can be considered for many tumor types, and tumors commonly being treated at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital include tumors of the lower urinary tract (bladder/urethra/prostate), liver tumors and nasal tumors.

Embolization / Chemoembolization

Embolization is a procedure that involves the injection of an agent that causes formation of an embolus (“clot”) in the blood vessel/s supplying a tumor. A chemoembolization procedure is when an embolization is combined with chemotherapy administration. The purpose of forming the embolus is to eliminate or decrease the blood supply to the tumor thus dampening the nutrient supply to the tumor. This procedure is generally only recommended in cases where surgical removal of a tumor is not possible. Examples of these may include large liver tumors, body wall tumors, nasal tumors, prostate tumors and tumors in locations where surgery may overly compromise a pet.

The performance of embolization or chemoembolization can be considered for many tumor types, and tumors commonly being treated at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital include prostate tumors, liver tumors and nasal tumors.