Kathmandu
Cancer Center
Kathmandu
Cancer Center
CT-guided and USG-guided biopsy every working day at KCC. Report in 3–5 days. For liver tumours, KCC offers Nepal's widest range of image-guided treatments - RFA, microwave ablation, and brachytherapy-ablation — matched to each patient's case.
Interventional Radiology uses X-ray, ultrasound, and CT imaging to guide needles, catheters, and instruments to precise locations inside the body — without open surgery. In a cancer centre, IR is involved in diagnosis, treatment, pain management, symptom relief, and emergency care. At KCC, IR is not a separate department — it is integrated into every cancer patient's pathway.
CT and ultrasound-guided biopsy performed daily at KCC. The fastest route from a scan finding to a confirmed cancer diagnosis.
A biopsy is the only definitive way to confirm cancer. At KCC, image-guided biopsy uses real-time CT or ultrasound to navigate a thin needle precisely into a tumour — no surgery, no hospital admission. The tissue obtained goes to pathology for histopathology, IHC, and molecular testing that your oncologist uses to plan treatment.
For small, localized tumours — particularly liver, lung, and kidney cancers — ablation can be curative or used to control disease, without open surgery.
Ablation uses heat, radiation or chemical — delivered through a thin needle guided by CT or ultrasound — to destroy tumour cells in place. No surgical cut. Most patients go home the same day or after one night.
Electrical energy heats and destroys tumour tissue. Most established ablation technique for liver cancer. Also used for lung and kidney tumours.
Faster and capable of treating larger tumours than RFA. Particularly effective for liver tumours near blood vessels where RFA may be less reliable.
Pure alcohol injected directly into small thyroid nodules or liver lesions, causing cells to die. Simple, effective for selected cases.
When is Ablation Used?
KCC is the only centre in Nepal offering all three image-guided options for liver tumours. The right technique is chosen for each patient — size, location, and liver function all guide the decision.
RFA · Microwave Ablation · Brachytherapy-Ablation. No single technique works best for every case — which is why having all three matters. At KCC, the IR team and oncologists review each case together and choose the approach most likely to succeed.
A patient with jaundice from bile duct obstruction cannot receive chemotherapy. A patient with obstructed kidneys faces renal failure. Tense ascites makes breathing impossible. These IR procedures don't cure cancer — but they restore the possibility of treatment and make daily life liveable again.
Pancreatic cancer pain is among the most severe in oncology. A celiac plexus block can dramatically reduce it — in a single image-guided procedure.
The celiac plexus is a network of nerves in the upper abdomen that transmits pain signals from the pancreas, liver, and other abdominal organs. In pancreatic cancer, these nerves are often compressed or infiltrated by tumour — causing severe, constant abdominal pain that is difficult to control with oral pain medication alone.
A CT or USG-guided celiac plexus block (or neurolysis) injects alcohol or a local anaesthetic into this nerve network under precise image guidance. The procedure disrupts pain transmission — often reducing the need for high-dose opioids and improving quality of life significantly.
Tumour bleeding is a life-threatening emergency. IR's ability to embolize (block) bleeding vessels can be faster and safer than emergency surgery.
Tumours can bleed suddenly and severely. Embolization threads a catheter to the feeding artery and blocks it — stopping bleeding without major surgery. Often faster and safer in a critically ill cancer patient.
Tumour necrosis and post-treatment collections can become infected, forming abscesses. Image-guided drainage drains the infection without surgery — a critical intervention for patients who may not tolerate an operation.
KCC runs an active brachytherapy programme in collaboration with a dedicated brachy team. Image-guided brachytherapy delivers high-dose radiation directly into or adjacent to a tumour through a needle or catheter — precisely positioned by IR — targeting cancers of the liver and lung that are not suitable for surgery or external radiotherapy alone.
This is a specialist service combining IR precision with radiation oncology expertise — and it is available in Nepal at KCC.
Image-guided catheter placement
IR precisely positions brachytherapy catheters or needles inside or adjacent to the tumour under CT/USG guidance.
Radiation source delivered
High-dose radiation delivered directly to the tumour — sparing surrounding normal tissue more effectively than external beam.
For unresectable tumours
Liver and lung tumours not suitable for surgery or RFA — brachytherapy offers a treatment option where few others exist.
Specialist-trained in interventional radiology — performing image-guided procedures within KCC's multidisciplinary oncology team.
Consultant Radiologist
Interventional Radiologist
Biopsy every working day. Report in 3–5 days. Full IR oncology services at KCC — without travelling abroad.
KCC — Tathali, Nala Road, Bhaktapur · OPD 9 AM – 6 PM daily