Transarterial Chemoembolization Techniques for Lung Cancer Management

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for lung cancer has emerged as a minimally invasive locoregional therapy that delivers high concentrations of cytotoxic agents directly to tumour vasculature while obstructing arterial blood flow. By combining targeted arterial infusion with embolic particles—often in the form of drug-eluting beads—this approach aims to enhance tumour necrosis, limit systemic toxicity and improve local control of both primary and metastatic lesions. In bronchial arterial chemoembolization, interventional radiologists navigate microcatheters into bronchial or other systemic arteries feeding the tumour, infuse chemotherapeutic drugs and then deploy embolic microspheres to prolong exposure and induce ischaemia. Variations include use of biodegradable or polymeric beads, loading of monoclonal antibodies or tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, and sequential integration with adjunctive modalities such as microwave ablation or systemic immunotherapy. Contemporary practice has refined catheter navigation, improved imaging guidance and optimised drug-loading protocols, thereby broadening the technique’s application across a spectrum of non-small cell and small cell lung cancers that are unresectable, refractory to systemic regimens or associated with symptomatic haemoptysis. Global experience indicates that chemoembolization achieves meaningful rates of disease control and partial response, can be repeated safely and may enhance overall survival when combined with newer systemic agents. Nonetheless, standardisation of patient selection, bead size, embolisation end-points and long-term outcomes remains under active investigation.

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Transarterial Chemoembolization Techniques for Lung Cancer Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in transarterial chemoembolization techniques for lung cancer management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE): A procedure delivering chemotherapeutic agents directly into tumour-feeding arteries followed by embolic material to obstruct blood flow.

Drug-eluting bead (DEB): Microspheres designed to absorb and gradually release chemotherapeutic drugs at the site of embolization.

Bronchial arterial chemoembolization: A TACE variant targeting the bronchial arteries that supply lung tumours.

Microwave ablation (MWA): A thermal therapy using electromagnetic waves to induce coagulative necrosis of tumour tissue.

Objective response rate (ORR): The proportion of patients with a predefined reduction in tumour size.

Disease control rate (DCR): The proportion of patients achieving tumour shrinkage or stable disease for a specified duration.

References

1. Bevacizumab loaded CalliSpheres® bronchial arterial chemoembolization combined with immunotherapy and targeted therapy for advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2023).
2. Drug-Eluting Bead Bronchial Arterial Chemoembolization With and Without Microwave Ablation for the Treatment of Advanced and Standard Treatment-Refractory/Ineligible Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comparative Study. Frontiers in Oncology (2022).
3. Drug-eluting beads bronchial arterial chemoembolization vs. conventional bronchial arterial chemoembolization in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Frontiers in Medicine (2023).