chemoembolization
noun
che·mo·em·bo·li·za·tion
| \ -ˌem-bə-lə-ˈzā-shən
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Medical Definition of chemoembolization
: a technique for treating cancer (as of the liver) that involves the use of a catheter to administer high doses of chemotherapeutic agents into a blood vessel supplying the tumor along with an obstructing material (such as particles of gelatin sponge) which blocks the tumor's blood supply and prevents the dissipation of the chemotherapeutic agents
The objectives of chemoembolization through the hepatic artery are to increase the local concentration of chemotherapeutic drugs, prolong exposure of the tumor cells to cytotoxic agents, and reduce systemic side effects.— Bernard Levin and Christopher Amos, The New England Journal of Medicine, 11 May 1995