Arterial blood vessels supplying the lesion

Arterial blood vessels supplying the lesion refer to the specific vascular network responsible for delivering oxygenated blood and nutrients to a pathological area, such as a malignant tumor or a vascular malformation (National Cancer Institute, 2023). These vessels are frequently targeted in interventional radiology through procedures like transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to induce localized ischemia and deliver therapeutic agents directly to the site of disease (Lencioni & Llovet, 2010, Radiology). While not a single molecular entity, these vessels represent a physiological target for mechanical or chemical occlusion to starve the lesion of its blood supply (StatPearls, 2023). In oncology, the recruitment of these vessels is often driven by pro-angiogenic factors like Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), making the vascular endothelial cells a secondary molecular target for systemic therapies (PubMed, PMID: 26438671). Precise identification of these feeding arteries is crucial to minimize damage to adjacent healthy tissues and prevent complications such as non-target embolization (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

Other names

Feeding arteriesTumor-feeding vesselsLesion-supplying vasculatureAfferent vessels

Mechanical occlusion of blood flow (embolization), chemical ablation, or inhibition of neoangiogenesis to induce ischemia and necrosis within the lesion (StatPearls, 2023; NIH, 2023).