Being diagnosed with cancer can be an overwhelming experience. It is a delicate situation where the individual and their family need to come to terms with the diagnosis and decide on the further course of treatment with guidance from specialists who can make a significant difference in the journey.
In such scenarios, interventional radiology for blood cancer offers targeted procedures to facilitate the treatment. IR is a minimally invasive process requiring tiny incisions. Apart from aiding in quick healing, this approach facilitates chemotherapy in terms of further diagnosis and symptom treatment.
This guide explains interventional radiology procedures and their role in your treatment journey.
How is Interventional Radiology Performed?
Interventional Radiology (IR) is a minimally invasive procedure that relies on medical imaging processes such as CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasound to guide catheters and needles via tiny incisions or blood vessels and treat conditions in any part or organ in the body.
Generally, IR is considered a safer and quicker alternative to painful open surgeries involving techniques such as:
- Embolisation for bleeding
- Angioplasty
- Stenting
- Biopsy
- Tumour treatments
All IR procedures are performed by interventional radiologists — specially trained professionals who are often part of the core cancer care team. These specialists are also known as Image-Guided Surgeons, specialising in performing minimally invasive therapies.
Benefits of Interventional Radiology
The key benefits of these minimally invasive IR procedures include:
- Minimal pain and scarring due to tiny incisions
- Significantly reduced risk of infections during and after the procedure
- Expedited recovery and shorter hospital stays
Next, let’s explore how IR procedures facilitate accurate cancer diagnosis and further care.
Role of Image-Guided Biopsies in Cancer Diagnosis
A biopsy is the process of collecting tissue samples from the suspicious site for further diagnosis — an essential step to confirm the presence of cancer and in shaping your treatment strategy.
Interventional radiologists perform a minimally invasive technique, also called a percutaneous biopsy. It is an imaging-guided procedure where a small needle is inserted through your skin directly to the tumour using live imaging technology.
This brings us to the question — which therapy is used for blood cancer?
Blood cancer, or leukaemia, is managed through a combination of several therapies, each with a specific purpose:
- Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
- Targeted therapy for specific cancer cells
- Immunotherapy (such as CAR T-cell therapy) to augment the immune system
- Stem cell transplant to re-establish normal blood cells
- Radiation therapy to target leukemic cells in certain areas or as conditioning before transplantation
The above treatments depend on the kind and stage of blood cancer and on the general health of the person being treated.
In some cases, to make a definitive diagnosis of a cancer like lymphoma, tissue samples must be obtained from the lymph nodes deep within the body, which cannot be safely obtained using traditional surgery. For these instances, the interventional radiologist will perform biopsies using either CT or ultrasound images for guidance.
Also, IR procedures can address other complications related to lymphoma, such as:
- Pleural effusions, or fluid collection in the lungs
- Ascites, or fluid collection in the abdomen
Doctors use imaging techniques to drain the accumulated fluid. For instances where the lymphoma compresses the superior vena cava and other major veins, IR experts perform venous stenting to alleviate the pressure and swelling and facilitate easy breathing.
The Role of Interventional Radiology in Cancer Symptom Management
Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, can cause bone damage, leading to painful vertebral compression fractures in the spinal cord and severe pain that can affect mobility and daily activities.
In such medical scenarios, interventional radiology for blood cancer provides minimally invasive options such as vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty:
- In vertebroplasty, a special cement for bones is injected into the fractured vertebra with X-ray guidance. This cement immediately stabilises the fractured bone.
- In Kyphoplasty, a small balloon is inserted to create space within the damaged vertebra to restore height, after which the cement is added.
Thermal Ablation
Thermal ablation is also used for painful bone lesions. During the procedure, a needle delivers targeted heat or cold energy to destroy pain-causing nerve endings and cancer cells.
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How Does Interventional Radiology Treat Cancer?
Interventional radiology treats blood cancer through targeted, image-guided procedures. While IR does not cure blood cancers directly, it:
- Diagnose disease using precise image-guided biopsies.
- Supports treatment with reliable venous access for chemotherapy or transfusions.
- Relieves symptoms like pain, fluid buildup, or vein blockages using minimally invasive techniques.
- Destroys cancer tissue in selected cases with ablation.
The approach also helps in:
- Thermal ablation to target painful bone lesions that don’t respond well to medication
- Biopsy of bone lesions under imaging guidance to confirm diagnosis or monitor treatment response
- Central venous access placement, supporting long-term chemotherapy and transfusions that are essential in myeloma care
These interventions reduce pain, preserve mobility, and ensure treatment delivery remains smooth.
How IR Offers Critical Support on Your Treatment Journey
Extended treatments such as chemotherapy for blood cancer require constant access to your veins for drug injections, blood transfusions, and frequent tests. Interventional radiologists specialise in placing different central venous access devices, such as Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) and implantable ports.
In addition, when complications such as clots or malfunctions develop, they intervene with minimally invasive procedures to address and salvage the lines — a critical process known as Access Complication Management to maintain your venous access and prevent the necessity of further procedures.
For leukaemia patients, IR procedures, such as the placement of PICC lines, especially when therapy necessitates regular transfusions, chemotherapy infusions, and blood draws, interventional radiologists also place tunnelled catheters and implantable ports under ultrasound and X-ray guidance safely and painlessly.
In some instances, IR also aids care by:
- Conducting bone marrow biopsies under imaging guidance in patients where a routine biopsy would be difficult.
- Taking care of complications like infections or abscesses with drainage procedures.
- Restoring or salvaging clogged catheters to prevent multiple procedures.
Finally, this coordinated effort between specialities makes your treatment delivery seamless and efficient, highlighting the significance of Coordinated Care Across Specialities during your process.
What is Targeted Therapy for Blood Cancer?
Targeted therapy is a new cancer drug that targets specific genes, proteins, or pathways that cancer cells exploit to develop and survive. For instance, tyrosine kinase inhibitors are commonly applied in some leukaemias.
While targeted therapy is drug-based systemic treatment, interventional radiology also provides “targeted” therapy, but on a procedural level, like:
- Ablation
- Stenting of veins
- Cement augmentation — where the only targeted area is treated with minimal destruction of surrounding tissue
Together, systemic targeted therapy and IR procedures provide an extremely complementary mechanism for blood cancer treatment.
Talking About Interventional Radiology With Your Cancer Care Team
Apart from interventional radiology providing innovative assistance through minimally invasive methodologies, it also contributes to the management of symptoms and to enhancing your quality of life.
This multidisciplinary approach is all about coordinated care across specialities, where the tumour-targeting ability of primary treatments is teamed with the symptom-management capacity of IR.
Knowledge of these treatments gives you the power to have an educated conversation with your oncologist on whether or not an interventional radiology consultation can be helpful in your case, enabling you to speak up for yourself.
To learn how they can assist you on your path, get in touch with our specialists at Porunai Hospitals, a leading multispeciality hospital in Tirunelveli, for accurate diagnosis and personalised care.