Interventional Oncology

TACE & TARE Procedures

The "Trojan Horse" approach to fighting Liver Cancer. TACE (Chemoembolization) and TARE (Radioembolization) are advanced, non-surgical therapies that deliver high doses of chemotherapy or radiation directly into the tumor via the blood vessels. This "starves" the cancer while sparing the healthy liver tissue.

Targeted Therapy No Surgery Bridge to Transplant

The Science: Why It Works

The liver is unique because it has two blood supplies. Healthy liver cells get blood from the Portal Vein. Tumors (HCC), however, are greedy—they get 90% of their blood from the Hepatic Artery.

Diagram showing catheter delivering beads to liver tumor via hepatic artery

Fig 1. We insert a micro-catheter into the Hepatic Artery to release "beads" that block the tumor's food supply.

By blocking the Hepatic Artery with special "beads," we kill the tumor, but the healthy liver keeps working because it still feeds from the Portal Vein.

TACE vs. TARE: Which One?

Both procedures are done the same way (via the groin artery), but the "payload" we deliver is different. Dr. Srinivas will choose based on your tumor size and liver function.

Feature	TACE (Chemoembolization)	TARE (Radioembolization)
Payload	Beads coated with Chemotherapy drugs.	Glass beads containing Yttrium-90 Radiation.
Mechanism	Blocks blood supply + Chemical attack.	Internal radiation therapy from inside the tumor.
Ideal For	Multiple small tumors.	Large tumors or Portal Vein invasion.
Hospital Stay	2-3 Days.	1 Day (Often Outpatient).
Side Effects	Pain, fever, nausea (Post-Embolization Syndrome).	Very minimal side effects.

Indication: "Bridge to Transplant"

For patients waiting for a Liver Transplant, TACE/TARE plays a critical role:

Down-Staging: Shrinking a large tumor to make it small enough to fit within transplant criteria (Milan Criteria).
Bridging: Keeping the tumor under control preventing it from spreading while you wait for a donor organ.

Frequently Asked Questions

The procedure itself is not painful as the inside of blood vessels has no nerves. However, with TACE, patients often experience abdominal pain, fever, and nausea for 24-48 hours after the procedure as the tumor cells die. We manage this with medication in the hospital.

No. Because the chemotherapy (in TACE) is trapped directly inside the liver tumor, very little leaks into the rest of the body. Systemic side effects like hair loss are extremely rare.

It depends on the tumor response. TARE is usually a single session. TACE may need 2-3 sessions spaced 6 weeks apart to achieve complete tumor death (necrosis).

For small tumors, it can be curative. For larger or multiple tumors, it controls the disease and extends life significantly, or serves as a bridge to a curative Liver Transplant.