Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Interventional radiology for liver cancer in Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
Interventional radiology treats or tests the liver through a needle or thin tube guided by a scan, without an open operation. It is available in Hyderabad in large hospitals with a specialist team. CION's tumour board decides which procedure suits you, then coordinates it through accredited partner hospitals. This page explains the main procedures, who they suit and who they do not. At CION Cancer Clinics, we explain costs in writing and help families from across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh plan treatment in Hyderabad.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- What is interventional radiology, and can I get it in Hyderabad?
- What can interventional radiology do for a liver tumour?
- Which interventional procedures are used in liver cancer?
- How do you get from a scan to an interventional procedure?
- Which procedure is usually considered for which situation?
- Who are these procedures not suitable for?
- What can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about interventional radiology for liver cancer
The short answer
What is interventional radiology, and can I get it in Hyderabad?
Interventional radiology means treating or testing the liver through a needle or a thin tube, guided by a scan, instead of through an open operation. It is available in Hyderabad in large hospitals that have a specialist interventional radiologist and an angiography room.
How CION fits in
CION does not run its own interventional radiology suite. CION's oncologists and the liver tumour board decide which procedure, if any, you need. CION then coordinates it through NABH-accredited partner hospitals, and your oncologist keeps looking after you before and after.
Why it matters so much in liver cancer
Many people with liver cancer also have cirrhosis, a scarred liver. A large operation can be risky for them. Needle and tube treatments often let doctors treat the tumour, take a sample or drain fluid with a smaller strain on the liver and a shorter hospital stay.
This page is mainly about primary liver cancer that starts in the liver. If cancer spread to your liver from somewhere else, the same procedures may be used, but the plan is made differently.In one list
What can interventional radiology do for a liver tumour?
- Take a needle biopsy when the scan alone does not give a clear answer
- Destroy a small tumour with heat or cold, called ablation
- Block the tumour's blood supply with chemotherapy, called TACE
- Deliver radioactive beads into the tumour, called Y-90 or TARE
- Grow the healthy side of the liver before surgery
- Drain a blocked bile duct to relieve jaundice and itching
- Drain fluid from the abdomen when it builds up
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe main procedures
Which interventional procedures are used in liver cancer?
Each one has its own page. Here is what each does, in a sentence or two, so you know which to read next.
Ablation
A needle placed in the tumour heats or freezes it. For one small tumour this can be a curative treatment. Read about liver ablation.
TACE and Y-90
A thin tube from the groin or wrist reaches the artery feeding the tumour. TACE sends in chemotherapy and blocking particles. Y-90 sends in radioactive beads. See where TACE and Y-90 are available.
Portal vein embolisation
The vein feeding the side of the liver to be removed is blocked, so the other side grows larger before surgery. It is used only when a surgeon is planning an operation.
Drains, biopsies and TIPS
A tube can drain bile or abdominal fluid. A guided needle can take a tissue sample. TIPS is a shunt placed inside the liver to lower pressure in its veins.
Usually used for
- Jaundice from a blocked bile duct
- Fluid that keeps coming back
- Diagnosis when scans are unclear
From scan to procedure
How do you get from a scan to an interventional procedure?
A consultation and a full review
Your CION oncologist looks at your scans, blood tests and any biopsy. If the scan is not good enough to plan from, CION arranges a triple-phase CT or MRI through a diagnostic partner.
The tumour board chooses the approach
Oncologists, surgeons and radiologists weigh the tumour, your liver function and your general fitness. They decide between surgery, a needle or tube procedure, medicines or a mix of these.
The procedure at a partner hospital
CION books it with an accredited partner, sends your records ahead and tells you how to prepare. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.
Follow-up with your oncologist
After the procedure you return to CION. A later scan shows whether the treatment worked, and your oncologist plans the next step with you.
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Side by side
Which procedure is usually considered for which situation?
The situation
What is often considered
One small tumour, surgery is risky
Ablation
Several tumours inside the liver, liver working fairly well
TACE, or sometimes Y-90
Tumour pressing on or growing into the portal vein
Sometimes Y-90, decided case by case
Surgery planned but the healthy liver is too small
Portal vein embolisation first
Jaundice from a blocked bile duct
A drain or stent
Not for everyone
Who are these procedures not suitable for?
Needle and tube treatments are gentler than an operation, but they are not harmless. When the liver is already failing, with deep jaundice, confusion or a large amount of fluid in the abdomen, treating the tumour can tip the liver into failure. In that situation the team may advise supportive care and treatment of the liver disease instead.
When cancer has spread outside the liver
If cancer has reached the lungs, bones or lymph nodes, treating only the liver rarely helps on its own. Medicines that work through the whole body, such as immunotherapy or targeted tablets, usually come first.
When surgery or transplant is the better option
For some small tumours in a healthy enough liver, an operation or a transplant offers a better chance of long-term control. A procedure should not be chosen only because it is quicker to arrange.
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you?
It cannot tell you which procedure is right for you. That depends on the exact size and position of the tumour, the blood vessels around it and blood tests that measure how well your liver works. Only a team looking at your own scans can answer that.
It does not name or rank hospitals
Several Hyderabad hospitals offer these procedures. The right place is one where the procedure is planned within a full liver team and where your scheme or insurance is accepted. For costs, ask for a written, itemised estimate before you agree.
If you have been told you need a liver procedure and want a second look first, call the helpline. Someone will arrange a review of your scans.Questions we are asked
Common questions about interventional radiology for liver cancer
Does CION have its own interventional radiology suite?
No. CION coordinates interventional procedures through NABH-accredited partner hospitals. CION's oncologists and tumour board decide what you need, arrange it and care for you before and after. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.
Is interventional radiology the same as surgery?
No. There is no large cut. A needle or thin tube is guided by a scan through a small nick in the skin. Most people recover faster than after an operation, though some still stay in hospital overnight and feel unwell for a few days.
Will I be awake during the procedure?
It depends on the procedure. Many are done with a local anaesthetic and medicine to help you relax. Ablation is often done under general anaesthetic. The hospital doing it will explain what to expect and how to prepare.
Can an interventional procedure remove the cancer completely?
Ablation of a small tumour can be curative in the right person. TACE and Y-90 are usually used to control a tumour rather than remove it, or to hold it while someone waits for surgery or a transplant. Your team will tell you which aim applies to you.
Do I need a biopsy before treatment?
Not always. In someone with cirrhosis, a typical pattern on a triple-phase CT or MRI can be enough to diagnose liver cancer. A biopsy is taken when the scan is unclear or the liver looks normal. Read about second opinions on liver imaging.
Are these procedures covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
Some are covered at empanelled hospitals, but the rules and lists change. Check with the scheme desk or your insurer at the time. CION's team can help you with the paperwork and with getting a written estimate.
What should I bring to the first appointment?
All your scan reports and the images on a disc, your recent blood tests, any biopsy report and a list of your medicines, including any herbal tonics. A family member who can take notes is a real help.
What if I get fever or pain after going home?
Some fever and pain are common after TACE or ablation. If you have a high fever with shivering, vomiting blood, black stools, new confusion or yellowing that is getting worse, go to hospital today. For milder problems, call the CION helpline.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where each test and operation takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR) — Management of liver cancer (ACR Appropriateness Criteria, patient summary)
- American Cancer Society — Liver Cancer Ablation: RFA, MWA, Cryotherapy, PEI, Histotripsy
- American Cancer Society — Embolization Therapy for Liver Cancer
- RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR) — TIPS - Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Where TACE and Y-90 are available in HyderabadThe two artery treatments, and how they are arrangedLiver tumour ablation explainedThe needle treatment for one small tumourWhat a liver cancer tumour board decidesWho chooses the procedure, and howLiver tumour ablation for HCCHow the ablation procedure itself works
Talk to us
Told you need a liver procedure and want a second look?
Send us your scans and reports and the tumour board will review them. We will explain your options plainly and arrange the next step if you want it. One helpline serves every CION centre.