Role of interventional radiology in cancer care

Interventional radiology (IR) can play a crucial role in cancer care through early diagnosis and effective choice of treatment

- DR SAURABH KUMAR

Interventional radiology (IR) is a medical subspecialty utilizing minimally invasive, image-guided procedures for diagnosis and treatments of various diseases. It is occupying an increasingly prominent role in the care of patients with cancer, starting from initial diagnosis, right through to minimally invasive treatment of cancer. Management of cancer requires multi-disciplinary team and IR play a pivotal role in cancer management plans when used alongside medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, and has established itself as fourth pillar of modern oncology.

What makes IR relevant?

Appropriate treatment of cancer is dependent on a timely definitive diagnosis with histologic confirmation remains the gold standard for diagnosis. Minimally invasive techniques by interventional radiologist are being utilized for biopsies to establish histological diagnosis and image guidance in form of modern cross sectional imaging (ultrasound, CT or MRI), during biopsy permits safe passage of a needle into an organ, improving efficacy and minimizing trauma to surrounding structures Adequate sampled cancer tissue provides histological and molecular diagnosis by immunohistochemistry, outcome of which provides basis of chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Percutaneous IR guided biopsy is also utilized for microbiological diagnosis of lesions suspicious for infections in cancer patients. Interventional radiologist also provides pre-operative tumor localization with image guidance like wire-localization in breast cancer patients and in the chest to guide video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS) for removal of lung cancer nodules.