Interventional Oncology Case: TACE for Primary Pancreatic Tumor in Germany

Johnny Prince is the kind of person who usually powers through. He’s from Toronto, the type who can explain away a bad week as stress, a weird appetite as “just getting older,” and fatigue as a normal price for a busy life. But this time it kept stacking up: weight loss that didn’t feel like a “diet win,” discomfort that didn’t settle, and a sense that something was off even on good days.

After a round of tests back home, the answer landed hard: stage 4 pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The word “stage” did most of the talking. Johnny remembers looking at the scan images and feeling like they belonged to someone else.

Amid all the new terminology, one number stuck with him: CA 19-9. Before he traveled, his level was 1422. It wasn’t just a lab value; it became a symbol of how far things had gone, a figure he couldn’t unsee once it was written down.

Choosing Germany for Interventional Oncology

That’s how Germany entered the conversation, specifically interventional oncology. The patient learned about transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), a procedure where chemotherapy is delivered directly into the blood vessels feeding the tumor. This is followed by embolization, essentially reducing blood flow to the cancerous tissue.

For Johnny, what made sense wasn’t just the science, it was the logic of precision. If the tumor is drawing blood like a supply line, why not cut the line and treat it from the inside?

Two TACE Sessions in Frankfurt

In August 2025, Johnny arrived at University Clinic Frankfurt and began treatment under Prof. Dr. Thomas Vogl. The first TACE session felt surreal, like stepping into a different kind of oncology, one run by imaging, catheters, and careful navigation rather than long infusions in a chair.

The second session followed in the same month. By then, he understood the rhythm: preparation, procedure, recovery, and the slow mental work of waiting, watching symptoms, listening to his body, and trying not to turn every sensation into a forecast.

What Comes Next

After the two TACE sessions, Johnny was advised to plan one more round. Depending on the tumor's response and the results of the next imaging, an ablation procedure may also be considered, based on the tumor's size and feasibility.

Johnny describes this phase as learning to live in “next steps.” Not vague hope, not blind optimism, just a clear sequence of decisions, guided by scans, markers, and doctors who deal in specifics.