Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Questions to ask before your first TACE | CION Cancer Clinics
Before your first TACE, ask why it is the plan for you, what else was considered and how your liver is likely to cope. Then ask how many sessions are expected, how response will be checked and what happens if it stops working. This page gives you those questions in groups, what to arrange beforehand, and the words you are likely to hear. At CION Cancer Clinics, a multidisciplinary tumour board weighs your liver function and your scans before recommending any treatment.
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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 should you ask before your first TACE?
- Which questions cover the things that matter most?
- What should you sort out before the first session?
- What do the terms in the TACE conversation mean?
- When might the answer be that TACE is not right for you?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions before a first TACE
The short answer
What should you ask before your first TACE?
Ask why TACE is the plan for you, what else was considered, and how your liver is likely to cope. Then ask how many sessions are expected, how success will be measured, and what happens if it does not work.
Why these questions matter
TACE, or transarterial chemoembolisation, delivers chemotherapy through a thin tube into the arteries feeding a liver tumour, then blocks those arteries. It is one of the most common treatments for primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC) in India, usually for tumours too large or too many for surgery or ablation. Because it is so common, families are sometimes told about it in a hurry, in a corridor, with no time to ask anything. A short list of questions helps you slow the conversation down.
Who this page is for
This page is for someone with HCC, or a family member, who has been offered TACE for the first time. If the cancer in the liver has spread from another organ, some questions still apply, but read the page on TACE for liver metastases as well.
Write your questions down before the appointment and take one family member to note the answers.The questions to bring
Which questions cover the things that matter most?
Group your questions under four headings. You do not need to ask every one. Pick the ones that worry your family.
About the decision
You want to understand why TACE was chosen over the alternatives.
- Why TACE and not surgery, ablation or tablets?
- Has a tumour board reviewed my scans?
- Is the aim to control the tumour, or to shrink it for surgery or transplant?
About my liver
TACE puts strain on the liver, so its reserve matters as much as the tumour.
- What is my Child-Pugh score, and what does it mean for TACE?
- Is the portal vein clear of tumour?
- What is the risk that my liver gets weaker afterwards?
About the procedure
Practical answers help you plan travel, leave and care at home.
- Conventional or bead TACE, and why?
- How long will I stay in hospital?
- Where will the procedure take place, and who does it?
About what comes next
TACE is often a series, not a single event.
- How many sessions do you expect?
- When is the scan to check the response?
- What is the plan if TACE stops working?
- What will this cost, in writing?
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore the day
What should you sort out before the first session?
Gather every report
Bring the triple-phase CT or MRI, the scan CD, recent blood tests and any biopsy report. Missing scans are the commonest cause of delay.
List every medicine you take
Include blood thinners, diabetes tablets, antivirals for hepatitis B or C, and any herbal or Ayurvedic liver tonic. Some need to be paused, and the team cannot plan safely without knowing.
Tell the team about kidney problems and allergies
TACE uses contrast dye, which can strain weak kidneys. A past reaction to dye or iodine needs planning in advance.
Plan the days after
Pain, fever and sickness for a few days afterwards are common. Arrange for someone to stay with you and for the journey home. The page on post-embolisation syndrome explains what to expect.
Words you may hear
What do the terms in the TACE conversation mean?
- BCLC stage B
- The intermediate stage of HCC: several tumours or a large one, confined to the liver, in a person who is otherwise reasonably well. This is the stage where TACE is most often used.
- Child-Pugh score
- A grade of how well the liver is working, from A (best) to C. TACE is usually considered with A and some B scores.
- Portal vein
- The large vein that brings blood into the liver. Tumour inside it usually makes TACE unsafe.
- Conventional and bead TACE
- Two ways of giving the drug: mixed with an oily dye, or loaded onto tiny beads that release it slowly.
- Response
- How the tumour looks on the follow-up scan, usually judged by how much of it still lights up with contrast.
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Did you know
At CION every liver cancer plan is discussed at the tumour board, where medical, surgical and radiation oncologists review the scans with radiologists before TACE is confirmed. You can ask to know what the board recommended and why.
Who it does not suit
When might the answer be that TACE is not right for you?
TACE does not suit everyone with HCC, and a good team will say so. It is usually avoided when the liver is badly weakened, with jaundice, uncontrolled fluid in the abdomen (ascites) or confusion. It is usually avoided when tumour blocks the main portal vein, and when cancer has spread outside the liver. In those situations TACE can harm the liver without helping, and tablets or immunotherapy, or supportive care, are often safer.
When a smaller treatment may be better
For a single small tumour, surgery or ablation may offer a better chance of removing it entirely. It is worth asking directly whether those were considered. The plain comparison of the main treatments lays them side by side.
If you are not sure about the answers
If the answers do not make sense, or the plan was made without anyone looking at your liver function, a second opinion is reasonable. It does not need to cause long delay.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot answer the questions for you. The right answers depend on your scans, your blood tests and how you are in yourself, and only the team who has seen all of those can give them. This page is a list to take into the room, not a substitute for the conversation.
It cannot predict how TACE will work for you
Response to TACE varies widely between people, even with similar scans. Be wary of anyone who promises a particular result. Ask instead how the team will measure response and how they will decide what comes next.
CION coordinates TACE through NABH-accredited partner hospitals. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.Questions we are asked
Common questions before a first TACE
Is it rude to ask the doctor so many questions?
No. Doctors expect questions before a procedure, and good answers make it safer, because you will know what to watch for afterwards. If time is short, ask your three most important questions first and request a follow-up call or visit for the rest.
Can I bring a family member into the consultation?
Yes, and it helps. One person can listen while the other writes. If the person who will help with decisions lives elsewhere, ask whether they can join by phone. Decide beforehand who will ask the questions so nothing is missed.
Does TACE remove the cancer?
TACE is usually given to control the tumour and slow its growth, not to remove it. Sometimes it shrinks a tumour enough for surgery or transplant to become possible. Ask your team what the aim is in your case, because that shapes everything else.
Will I be awake during TACE?
Most people are given sedation and local anaesthetic rather than a full general anaesthetic. You may feel pressure in the groin or wrist and some discomfort in the liver area. The page on TACE and pain explains what people usually feel.
Should I stop my hepatitis B tablets before TACE?
Do not stop them on your own. Hepatitis B can flare during cancer treatment, and antivirals protect against that. Your hepatologist or physician decides on antiviral treatment. Tell the TACE team you are taking them, and keep taking them unless told otherwise.
What symptoms after TACE need a doctor urgently?
Go to hospital the same day for a high fever with shivering, yellowing of the eyes, new confusion or drowsiness, vomiting blood, black stools, or pain that keeps getting worse rather than settling. Ask the team for a number to call before you leave hospital.
Can I eat normally after TACE?
Usually yes, once any sickness settles. Appetite is often poor for a few days. Small meals with enough protein help recovery, and cutting protein out is not advised unless your doctor says so. Avoid alcohol and any herbal liver tonics completely.
Who can I ask if I am still unsure?
Start with the team who offered TACE. If you still have doubts, CION's tumour board can review your scans and plan. Call the helpline and someone will explain how to send your reports and what happens next.
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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Sources
- RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR) — TACE Cancerous Tumor Therapy
- American Cancer Society — Embolization Therapy for Liver Cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Treatment for liver cancer
- EASL — EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma
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.
Talk to us
Want someone to go through your TACE plan with you?
Send us your scans and the plan you have been given, and our team can review them with you and answer your questions. One helpline serves every CION centre.