INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

We at RGCIRC are the first in India to establish a dedicated Interventional Oncology service line. Interventional Oncology is now recognized as the 4th pillar in cancer care. Historically surgery, radio-therapy & chemo-therapy have been the principle treatment options. Interventional Oncology has emerged as yet another treatment option with minimally invasive techniques in the management of cancer. In such procedures the cancer is targeted and destroyed using image guidance for planning and execution. Such procedures are carried out in a state of the art oncology Cath Lab or under CT/USG guidance. Some of the procedures are lifesaving.

For instance, in an actively bleeding in cancer patients we are able to stop the bleeding by embolization through vascular access. At RGCIRC, our Interventional Oncology service is provided by highly trained physicians and supporting staff. The service is available round the clock. The following are some of the highlights :-

Ablative Therapies

We are proud to have the best in class Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) & Microwave Ablation(MWA) machines. We use ablative therapies to destroy cancer in the liver, lung, bone, kidney, soft tissue and many other organs. We have developed the technique of hydrodissection to prevent any collateral injury to non-target organs. Ours is a high volume centre for ablative therapies with a large referral base.

Arterially Directed Therapies in liver

We excell in the field of liver directed therapies such as Trans-Arterial Chemo Embolization (TACE) and Trans-Arterial Radio Embolization (TARE) also known as Selective Internal Radio Therapy (SIRT). We use these techniques primarily to destroy liver cancer. These procedures will often prolong the life of a cancer patient and sometimes make him fit for surgery for a cure.

Controlling active bleeding as a lifesaving procedur

Very often this is an emergency procedure and is available round the clock. We use vascular access to control life threatening bleeding when cancerous tissue involves a blood vessel. Some examples are carotid blow out in Head & Neck cancers or gastrointestinal bleeding. We embolize, or simply block the bleeding vessel using different types of embolic material to save lives.

Palliative Procedures

Under imaging guidance we are effectively able to block pain pathways in advanced cancers where other methods have failed to control pain. We routinely perform pleural and ascetic aspirations often using indwelling and tunnelled catheters with long lasting effect.

We control pain originating from bony metastases by ablating the lesion and augmenting strength by cementoplasty. In short, our palliative procedures are able to provide relieve to the cancer patient in numerable situation.

Biopsies

We have established ourselves as the leaders in conducting the most difficult biopsies from all parts of the body to provide tissue for histopathological diagnosis and mutational analysis. This provides adequate information for personalized therapy in cancers.

Biliary Procedures (PTBD and STENTING)

We are conducting a large number of biliary drainage procedures and stenting of the bile duct. These procedures provide comfort to the suffering and often render the patient suitable for subsequent surgery. Through these procedures we also provide access for brachytherapy.

Portal-Vein Embolization

We carry out portal-vein Embolization in patients who are in need of hepatic resection but cannot undergo surgery due to the small size of Future Liver Remnant (FLR). Our procedure regenerates the liver tissue and renders the patient suitable for surgery.