A New Understanding of Metastasis and
the Importance of Systemic Therapy
Cancer metastasis was once thought to occur only after a tumor had grown to a certain size. However, recent research has revealed that the process of metastasis begins even when a tumor is still microscopic.
For example, minute cells that reach the bone marrow may enter a dormant state, or they may proliferate there to form bone metastases, or re-enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs such as the lungs or liver, giving rise to new metastases.
For cancer patients in whom such latent metastatic foci are a concern, it goes without saying that systemic therapy with chemotherapy or molecular-targeted drugs is extremely important.
An Intensive Treatment Strategy That Merges
the “Micro” and the “Macro”
So, while systemic therapy is being carried out, is there no point in “local treatment” such as IVR?
The answer is that it is “extremely important.” The nature of a cancer (its genetic characteristics) not only differs by ethnicity and sex, but is also known to keep changing (mutating) over time and by site even within the same patient.
While physicians devise “micro (cellular-level)” strategies by changing drug combinations, we IVR specialists take on the role of controlling cancer lesions that are clearly visible on imaging, from a “macro (physical and structural)” perspective such as the intratumoral microenvironment and the dynamics of metastasis.
Confronting Recurrent Cancer with IVR—
“Treatment Without Cutting”
In “multidisciplinary treatment,” where internal medicine, surgery, radiology and other specialties each bring their expertise, IVR serves as a powerful weapon for striking local lesions that cannot be fully controlled by chemotherapy.
Drawing on extensive experience in treating recurrent cancer, our clinic specializes in “treatment without cutting” that makes full use of the latest IVR technology.
Rather than one-size-fits-all treatment, we propose the optimal local treatment that is most needed at the moment, tailored to each patient’s changing condition. Depending on the situation, we may also propose options other than IVR, such as advanced surgical treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or other cutting-edge cancer treatments.
If you are troubled by the choices in cancer treatment, please feel free to consult us.
