Tumor-feeding hepatic arterial blood vessel

Tumor-feeding hepatic arterial blood vessels are the specialized vascular structures that provide the primary blood supply to malignant liver tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (StatPearls, 2023 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537144/]). While healthy liver tissue is predominantly supplied by the portal vein, liver malignancies derive the vast majority of their oxygen and nutrients from the hepatic arterial system (National Cancer Institute [https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/hepatic-artery-embolization]). This unique dual blood supply of the liver provides a therapeutic window for interventional oncology (Journal of Hepatology, 2018 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2018.03.019]). Procedures such as Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) and Transarterial Embolization (TAE) exploit this by delivering chemotherapeutic agents or embolic materials directly into these feeding vessels. This approach maximizes the local concentration of drugs within the tumor while simultaneously inducing ischemia through vessel occlusion, leading to tumor necrosis while sparing the surrounding healthy liver tissue.

Other names

Tumor-feeding arteryHepatic artery branchNeovasculature of liver tumorFeeding artery

Transarterial delivery of cytotoxic or radioactive agents followed by mechanical occlusion (embolization) to induce ischemic necrosis and localized drug toxicity (StatPearls, 2023 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537144/]).