Management of Patients Who Have Undergone Hepatic Artery Chemoembolization

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cause of all malignancies and causes approximately one million deaths each year. Surgical liver resection is the only cure for HCC; however, few patients are eligible to undergo this procedure. Hepatic artery chemoembolization (HACE) is a technique that delivers high concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents and blocks the blood supply to the liver for prolonged periods of time. HACE has demonstrated an overall increase in survival. The HACE procedure, pre- and postprocedure complications, and the care required by patients with HCC are critical for oncology nurses to understand.