Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
What happens on the day of TACE? | CION Cancer Clinics
On the day of TACE you arrive fasting, have blood tests and a drip, and a thin tube is passed through an artery in your groin or wrist to the liver. Treatment is given, the tube comes out, and you rest lying flat. Most people stay at least one night. This page walks through each step and the warning signs to watch for at home. 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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The short answer
What actually happens on the day of TACE?
You arrive fasting, have blood tests and a drip, and are taken to the interventional radiology room. A thin tube is passed through an artery in the groin or wrist up to the liver, the treatment is given, and the tube comes out. Most people then lie flat for a few hours and stay in hospital at least overnight.
Who does what
TACE, or transarterial chemoembolisation, is done by an interventional radiologist, a doctor who treats from inside the blood vessels using X-ray pictures as a guide. CION coordinates TACE through NABH-accredited partner hospitals, and your CION oncologist stays in charge of the overall plan. Your team will tell you exactly where the procedure takes place and when to arrive.
Which reader this is for
This page is for someone whose team has already decided TACE is suitable, most often for primary liver cancer at the intermediate stage. If you are still deciding, start with who is suitable for TACE. For the technical detail of the procedure itself, see what happens during TACE.
Getting ready
What should you do before you come in?
Most of the preparation happens at home, the day before. Your team will give you written instructions. Follow those over anything you read here.
Food and water
You will usually be asked not to eat from the night before. Small sips of water may be allowed until a set time. Ask exactly when your last meal and last drink should be.
Your medicines
Tell the team about blood thinners, diabetes tablets and insulin. Some need stopping or adjusting before an artery is punctured or contrast dye is given. Do not stop anything on your own.
What to bring
- Every recent blood report and scan, with the discs
- A written list of all your medicines, including herbal ones
- Your ID and any insurance or scheme papers
- Loose, comfortable clothes for going home
Someone with you
You will have sedation and cannot travel home alone. Families coming in from a district should plan for a stay of more than one night, in case you need longer to settle.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What happens from arrival to the ward?
Admission and checks
A nurse checks your blood pressure, takes fresh blood and puts a drip in your arm for fluids and medicines. The doctor explains the procedure and asks you to sign a consent form.
Numbing and sedation
On the X-ray table, the skin over the groin or wrist is cleaned and numbed with a local anaesthetic. Medicine through the drip makes you drowsy and relaxed. Most people stay awake but calm.
Reaching the tumour
A thin tube called a catheter goes into the artery and is steered to the liver. Contrast dye shows the vessels on the screen, so the doctor can find the branches feeding the tumour.
The treatment
Chemotherapy, mixed with an oily dye or loaded onto tiny beads, is released into those branches. Then small particles block them. You may feel warmth or an ache in the upper belly.
Closing the puncture
The catheter comes out and firm pressure, or a small closure device, seals the artery. You go back to the ward, usually within an hour or two of starting.
Words you will hear
What do the terms on the day mean?
- Angiogram
- The X-ray pictures of your blood vessels taken with contrast dye. It is how the doctor maps the tumour's blood supply.
- Femoral or radial access
- Whether the catheter goes in at the groin (femoral) or the wrist (radial). The wrist route usually means less time lying flat.
- Lipiodol
- An oily dye mixed with the chemotherapy in conventional TACE. It stays in the tumour and shows up on later scans.
- Drug-eluting beads
- Tiny beads that carry the chemotherapy and release it slowly. See conventional versus bead TACE.
- Post-embolisation syndrome
- Pain, fever, nausea and tiredness after TACE. It is common and expected, and usually settles on its own.
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After you go home, these cannot wait
Go to hospital today if you have a high fever with shivering, belly pain that keeps getting worse, new yellowing of the eyes, confusion or unusual drowsiness, vomiting blood or black stools, or swelling and bleeding at the puncture site. Say you had TACE. Do not wait for your next appointment, and do not take extra painkillers at home to see whether it settles.
Commonly believed
What do people expect about the day that is not quite true?
"TACE is a big operation with a cut on the stomach."
There is no open cut. The only wound is a small puncture in the groin or wrist, about the size of a needle mark, which is covered with a dressing.
"I will be fully asleep, so I will remember nothing."
Most people have sedation rather than a general anaesthetic. You may hear the team and be asked to hold your breath for pictures. Many people remember little afterwards, but some remember parts clearly.
"Fever the next day means the TACE has gone wrong."
A mild fever and aching are common as the treated tumour breaks down. A high fever with shivering, or pain that keeps getting worse, is different and needs a doctor the same day. Read about post-embolisation syndrome.
"One session finishes the treatment."
Many people need more than one. A scan some weeks later shows how the tumour responded and whether another session is needed.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot give you the exact timings for your own day. Fasting instructions, which artery is used, how long you lie flat and how long you stay all vary with your health, your liver and the hospital's routine. Your written instructions from the team come first.
Who this does not describe
This page describes a planned TACE for liver cancer. It does not describe emergency embolisation for a bleeding tumour, radioembolisation (TARE or Y-90), which has a separate planning visit, or TACE for cancer that spread to the liver from elsewhere. If your liver is weak or your kidneys need protecting, your day may include extra steps and a longer stay.
Where to ask
Write your questions down before the day. Ask who to call if something worries you at night and how you will hear about the follow-up scan. The list in questions before your first TACE is a good place to start.
If you are unsure about any instruction, call the helpline before the day, not on the morning itself.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the day of TACE
How long does the TACE procedure take?
The procedure itself usually takes about an hour or two, depending on how many tumours are treated and how easy the arteries are to reach. The whole day takes much longer, because of the checks beforehand and the rest afterwards. Plan for the full day and at least one night.
Is TACE painful?
The numbing injection stings briefly. During the treatment some people feel warmth or a dull ache under the right ribs. Pain after TACE is common and is treated with medicines through the drip and then tablets. The page on whether TACE is painful explains more.
Why do I have to lie flat afterwards?
The puncture in the artery needs time to seal. Keeping the leg straight and still lowers the chance of bleeding or a swelling under the skin. If the wrist was used, you can usually sit up sooner. The nurses will tell you when it is safe to move.
How long will I stay in hospital?
Most people stay at least one night. Some go home the next day once pain, fever and nausea are controlled and they are eating. Others need a little longer, especially if the liver needs watching. Your team decides based on how you are, not on a fixed rule.
Can I eat after TACE?
Usually you start with sips of water and then light food once the sedation wears off and nausea is under control. Many people have little appetite for a while. Eat small amounts often, and do not cut out protein, which the liver needs to recover.
I have diabetes. Does anything change?
Yes. Fasting and contrast dye both matter. Some diabetes tablets, such as metformin, may be paused around the dye, and insulin doses are often reduced while you are not eating. Ask your team for written instructions. The page on the contrast rule for diabetes medicines explains why.
Can a family member stay with me?
A family member can usually stay in the waiting area during the procedure and visit on the ward afterwards. Rules vary by hospital. Someone should be with you at home for the first day or two, and should know which warning signs mean going back to hospital.
When will I know whether TACE worked?
Not on the day. A CT or MRI scan some weeks later shows how the tumour responded. Blood tests, including AFP if it was raised, are checked too. Your oncologist explains the result and whether another session is planned. Read how response is measured.
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
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma HCC)
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.
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Have questions before your TACE date?
Call us with your instructions in hand and we will go through fasting, medicines and what to bring, step by step. One helpline serves every CION centre.