A new technique for treating liver mets

dlb823

Hopefully this research will continue to proof successful and will move along quickly!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20270400

cp418

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252669.php

Breakthrough Chemo Bath Treats Liver Cancer For First Time In UK

A treatment that isolates the blood supply to a cancerous liver while the organ receives a "chemo bath" has been used for the first time in the UK. The procedure saturates the liver with high doses of chemotherapy without affecting the rest of the body.

dlb823

This sure sounds promising!  I wonder where they're doing this (in trials?) in the US?  Let us know if you find that info', cp418.  

I thought Dr. Stedman's quote... "In 20 years' time the idea of injecting a drug which poisons the whole body for a cancer in just one small area will seem bonkers," is really thought provoking.     Deanna

Heidihill

It sounds promising but also not minimally invasive. More like maximally invasive. You have to remove the organ, bathe it, and put it back. That is a big deal. Maybe they mean minimally invasive in terms of chemo invasiveness.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/business/heated-chemotherapy-bath-may-be-only-hope-for-some-cancer-patients.html?pagewanted=all

Leah_S

Heidihill, the method described in the articles dlb823 and cp418 posted is not the same one as the article you posted. Those articles described how balloons are inflated around the liver to isolate it from the rest of the body before it is bathed in chemo drugs. The NYT article describes a procedure that removes tumors (and organs) in the abdominal cavity and treats the organs with heat and chemo. You're right - that sounds like an incredibly invasive procedure, and it seems from the aricle that it's very controversial.

Leah

Heidihill

I read "cut off the organ for 60 minutes" too literally. Not as invasive as I thought. But I still wonder how they get the balloons in. Thanks for pointing my error out, Leah.