Oncology – Sydney Medical Interventions

De-Livering Tumours With Embolisation

Posted on July 23, 2018August 14, 2018 by Sydney Medical Interventions

If you’ve known anyone with liver cancer, you may know it can be a tricky cancer to treat. Often by the time it’s diagnosed, it has progressed so far it cannot be removed surgically. However, there are still options for treatment, thanks to Interventional Radiology. In fact, Interventional Radiology may also enable “non-operative” patients to become operative candidates Embolisation for liver cancer: How it works Embolisation is a liver cancer treatment that shrinks tumours by using their blood supply against them. The procedure has been successful in patients who have inoperable primary (arising from the liver) or secondary (spreading to the liver from another location) tumours, as well as patients who need a break between chemotherapy treatments. Embolization involves injecting substances into the blood ... READ MORE

The Life of an Oncology Patient

Posted on July 4, 2016July 4, 2016 by Sydney Medical Interventions

People say that life is a journey. The journey of a patient with cancer is littered with potholes, twists and turns.There is a lot to deal with, physically and emotionally. Initially people deal with the stress of being diagnosed, and then there is the stress of treatment and response. Apart from the physical toll of the disease, there is the physical toll of the treatment. If you receive surgery or chemotherapy the physical repercussions can be quite severe. Surgery can be very traumatic, and often quite an aggressive approach is warranted, aiming for a cure. Meanwhile, chemotherapy has a list of side-effects, including light-headedness, weakness, difficulty thinking (known as ‘chemo brain’) and loss of appetite lasting weeks, months and occasionally even ... READ MORE

What Is The Difference Between An Interventional Radiologist and a Vascular Surgeon?

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Sydney Medical Interventions

There is a lot to be said about the confusion between the difference between an Interventional Radiologist (IR) and a Vascular Surgeon. First, we need to understand what each speciality does: Interventional Radiologists are vascular specialists who do minimally invasive procedures instead of surgery or other treatment, using image-guided diagnosis and treatment of diseases in every organ system. The main focus behind interventional radiology is providing a solution using the most modern, least invasive technique available in order to minimise risk and improve the outcomes for every patient with shorter hospital stays and comprehensive follow up care. “Historically, Interventional Radiologists have been doing catheter-based interventional procedures literally since 1963, when the first angioplasties were done,” says Timothy Murphy, MD. We ... READ MORE