Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a specific type of chemoembolization that blocks the hepatic artery to treat liver cancer.

Liver cancer tumours can grow new blood vessels (called angiogenesis). These blood vessels get most of their blood supply from the hepatic artery, while the rest of the liver tissue gets blood from the portal vein. Because of this, doctors can block the hepatic artery to cut off the blood supply to the tumour without affecting the rest of the liver as long as blood is normally flowing toward the liver in the portal vein.