Chemoembolization agents for cancer treatment

Chemoembolization has been used in the field of interventional oncology. Although practiced widely, it has only recently been demonstrated that the use of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) provides a survival benefit based on randomized controlled trials. TACE combines the effect of targeted chemotherapy with the effect of ischemic necrosis induced by arterial embolization. Most of the TACE procedures have been based on iodized oil utilizing its microembolic and drug-carrying characteristics. Recently, there have been efforts to improve the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to a tumor, which leads to the development of drug-eluting particles. In this review, we will describe the properties and efficacy of some chemoembolization agents which are commercially available and/or currently under clinical investigations. The potential and future of this new form of transcatheter arterial therapy for liver cancer will be discussed.