MU Health Care announced Tuesday new chemotherapy treatments for patients with advanced colorectal and abdominal cancers.
The Ellis Fischel Cancer Center will now offer Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI), which is used to treat advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver by delivering high dose chemotherapy directly into the liver using an implanted pump.
“What makes HAI unique is that it pumps the chemotherapy directly to your cancer cells and limits exposure to other parts of the body,” MU Health Care surgical oncologist Dr. Vikas Satyananda said in a news release. “Research shows that patients who undergo HAI live longer with fewer side effects and improved quality of life.”
This targeted chemotherapy for abdominal cancers was previously unavailable in Columbia, requiring patients to go to Kansas City or St. Louis for treatments.
