- With Mayo Clinic medical oncologist
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
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Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
"As a practicing medical oncologist, I meet with patients and families every day to help manage their course through this disease called cancer. This experience provides unique insight into the needs of cancer patients, their families and loved ones and brings into sharp focus the need for reliable information to be readily available in terms that can be easily understood." — Dr. Timothy Moynihan
Dr. Timothy Moynihan believes that providing consumers accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical Web sites. As the guiding force behind our cancer coverage, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.
Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., but raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative care medicine. He did his medical oncology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then went on to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Regions Medical Center in St. Paul, Minn., for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is director of the palliative care program at Mayo Clinic and associate medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.
Dr. Moynihan currently serves as the education chair for the Department of Medical Oncology and fellowship program director. Four times he has been selected as Teacher of the Year in medical oncology and elected to the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame. Past honors include distinguished clinical teacher at the University of Minnesota Medical School, best internist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of The Upjohn Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine. He serves on several national committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"The Internet provides a ready source of information on a wide range of topics of interest to those affected by cancer," Dr. Moynihan says. "The difficulty is trying to decide which sites provide reputable information and which information is relevant to each individual patient. The long history and tradition of excellence associated with Mayo Clinic assures you that information provided will be reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive."
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Complications (1)
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Treatments and drugs (9)
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- PICC line: How is it used for chemotherapy?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Alternative medicine (2)
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Question
PICC line: How is it used for chemotherapy?
What is a PICC line, and how is it used in cancer therapy?
Answer
from Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
A peripherally inserted central catheter, or PICC line, is a soft, thin, flexible tube that is inserted in a vein in your arm and threaded up into a larger vein near your heart. Ultrasound imaging may be used to help guide insertion of a PICC line. And an X-ray may be taken to verify correct placement.
When used for cancer chemotherapy, a PICC line allows for infusion of the drugs. It may also be used to deliver medications for pain management, nausea or vomiting, and hydration, as well as antibiotic agents and nutritional supplements. A PICC line may have one or more tubes (lumens) within it. Multiple lumens allow for the administration of more than one therapy at a time.
You may be a candidate for a PICC line if you must receive chemotherapy for an extended period of time or your veins don't allow easy access for therapy.
A PICC line often may be left in place for weeks or months. This reduces or eliminates the need for multiple needle insertions to deliver chemotherapy. The line may be treated with an antibiotic to reduce the risk of infection. Your doctor will tell you how to care for your PICC line. More permanent devices to deliver drugs into the bloodstream are available (infusion ports), but these require a minor surgical procedure for placement. When the treatment course is relatively short (weeks), it's often preferable to use a PICC line over a more permanent venous access device such as a port.
Next questionChemotherapy and sex: Is sexual activity OK during treatment?
- Gallieni M, et al. Vascular access in oncology patients. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2008;58:323.
- Monsour JC, et al. Establishing and maintaining vascular access. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elesevier; 2008:5.
- Hayden BK, et al. Chemotherapy: Principles of administration. In: Yarbro CH, et al. Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice. 6th ed. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2005:351.
- Freytes CO. Indications and complications of intravenous devices for chemotherapy. Current Opinion in Oncology. 2000;12:303.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 21, 2009.
