TWO TRANSCATHETER ARTERIAL CHEMOEMBOLIZATION PROCEDURES PERFORMED ON LIVER

BANJA LUKA, MAY 15 /SRNA/ – The medical team of the University Clinical Center /UCC/ of Republika Srpska today successfully performed, for the first time in Srpska, two procedures of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of the liver on patients with liver tumors.

The procedures were conducted by doctors from the UCC's Department of Clinical Radiology in a state-of-the-art angiography suite, under the supervision of interventional radiologist Davor Mrda from the Bežanijska Kosa Clinical Center in Belgrade. Radiology specialist Mile Čučak told reporters that one patient was diagnosed with primary malignant liver cancer, and the other had liver metastasis originating from colorectal cancer. Čučak explained that this method is intended for patients who are not candidates for surgical intervention. He clarified that transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is a minimally invasive technique in which catheters are inserted through the femoral artery in the groin to selectively reach the artery supplying the tumor or metastasis in the liver, where the medication is then injected directly into the tumor region. "This new method is a step forward in enabling treatment for patients suffering from malignant tumors or metastases, particularly for those who are not eligible for surgery, with the goal of extending their lives," said Čučak. Mrda stated that with this procedure, the UCC of Republika Srpska has been placed on the map of European oncology centers employing the most advanced techniques in liver tumor treatment. "These procedures complement oncological therapies rather than contradict them, thereby offering patients a better quality of life and improved treatment outcomes," Mrda emphasized. Chief of the Oncology Clinic Živko Vranješ noted that this method is beneficial and can be repeated multiple times, depending on the patient's health condition. UCC General Director Vlado Đajić also expressed gratitude to the colleagues from Serbia and to his associates at UCC, stating that he is committed to ensuring that the center continues to adopt techniques and practices used in leading European and global institutions.