Primary and secondary tumours of the lung are supplied, amongst others, by vessels originating from the pulmonary artery. Chemoembolisation of these blood vessels causes ischaemic necrosis of the tumour tissue, especially because of the selective application of the chemoembolisation material directly into the lesions. About up to 20 times higher concentration of cytotoxic drugs can be achieved by this method when compared to systemic chemotherapy with reduced adverse effects. By cutting off the vascular supply, the reaction time for chemotherapy in the tumour tissue is prolonged up to several weeks.

There exists various possibilities for the treatment of lung tumours such as surgical resection or Laser-Induced Thermotherapy (LITT), the latter is also performed regularly in our department. Furthermore, other local ablative procedures are available. Beside local therapy options, diverse systemic chemotherapy regimens might come into application. The choice of therapy, combination of different procedures and also the time of starting the therapy have not been standardized and are adapted to the individual patient needs.

 

Document Date: 2007/02/14   Author: Ahmed Koujan

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