About UCLA Interventional Oncology

Interventional Oncology provides image guided interventions focused on cancer, including biopsies, tumor ablations, trans-arterial therapies, and palliative management.

Our faculty has pioneered and developed the discipline of Interventional Oncology, not only in the United States but also on the world stage. This program is now performing over 500 ablative procedures per year, one of the largest in the US, and over 300 transarterial therapies per year. Cancers being treated include liver, renal, lung, musculoskeletal, and other solid malignancies.

Our experts offer a comprehensive suite of image-guided techniques to fully enable personalized medicine including:

1. precision biopsies for diagnosis and treatment selection utilizing the latest molecular and genetic analysis techniques,
2. focal and regional cancer treatments including radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound, chemoembolization, and radioembolization,
3. pain management and cancer palliation including nerve blocks and palliative drainages. Our researchers have pioneered many of the interventional techniques currently used worldwide through pre-clinical and clinical research (see appendix) and are active in exploring new technologies such as targeted delivery of viral and gene therapy, irreversible electroporation, and MR guidance for cancer interventions.

The breadth and depth of our program has enabled a degree of disease and skill-focused sub-specialization unique amongst institutions. Abdominal, Thoracic, Musculoskeletal, Neuro, and Pediatric sub-specialists provide advanced US, CT, and MR based diagnostic and interventions (Cross-Sectional IR), and Vascular and general IR-based specialists provide state-of-the art transarterial and other therapies (Vascular/general IR) for cancer treatment and palliation.