The short answer
A PICC is placed in the arm without surgery and must be kept dry. A port sits fully under the skin and can stay in for months or years. Both can cause infection or clots.
PICCs can stay in for days to months. Ports can stay in for months or years (ACS).
A PICC is placed at the bedside by a trained nurse without surgery. A port is placed by a surgeon or radiologist with sedation or anesthesia.
A PICC must be covered with waterproof material when you bathe or shower, and it should not get wet.
A healed port that is not in use sits fully under the skin, so ACS says you can bathe, shower and swim.
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Two ways into the same vein
This page is for people choosing between a PICC line and an implanted port for cancer treatment. It compares how each is placed, how long it can stay in, and what daily life with it is like. Your team will tell you which one fits your treatment.
How each is placed
A PICC, or peripherally inserted central catheter, goes in through a vein in the arm. A trained nurse can place it at the bedside, and no surgery is needed.
A port sits fully under the skin. A surgeon or radiologist places it in a short procedure, with sedation or anesthesia.
How long each lasts
The American Cancer Society says a PICC can be left in for days to months. A port can stay in for months or years. Treatment length is often a big part of the choice.
Daily life
A PICC comes out through the skin. It must be kept dry, and it needs a waterproof cover when you bathe or shower.
A port has no part outside the skin once it has healed. When it is not in use, ACS says you can bathe, shower and swim. The port is used when staff access it for treatment.
Both devices need clean hands before anyone touches them, and regular flushing. Your team will explain how often and who does it.
How it feels to live with
Some people mind how a device looks or feels, and some mind the daily care. Others worry about needles. These are fair things to raise with your team when you choose. Also tell them if you cannot manage dressing care at home or have no one to help.
Infection and clot warning signs
Both devices can cause infection and blood clots. ACS lists fever, chills, and new redness, swelling or oozing at the site as signs of infection. A clot can cause redness or swelling in the hand, arm, shoulder or neck.
When to get help sooner
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you get chest discomfort or shortness of breath. Do the same if the arm, shoulder, neck or face on the device side swells suddenly, which can point to a clot. Do not drive yourself.
- Call your care team at once, at any hour, if your temperature reaches 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or higher, or you get shaking chills, at any point during treatment. CDC says a fever during chemotherapy can be life-threatening and may be the only sign of infection. If you cannot get through fast, go to an emergency department and tell them you have a central line and are on chemotherapy.
- Call your care team right away, at any hour, if you notice new redness, warmth, swelling, oozing or a bad smell at the site, or pain at the site that is growing rather than settling.
- Call your care team within a day or two if the line will not flush, blood cannot be drawn, the dressing is wet, loose or peeling, the PICC looks longer than it did or has moved, or fluid leaks at the skin during an infusion.
Asking the question well
Useful questions include:
- How many weeks or months of treatment are expected?
- Will blood draws also go through the device?
- Who cares for the dressing, and where?
- Can the device be removed early if my plan changes?
Sources
Opened and checked on 2026-10-02:
Common questions
Which one lasts longer?
A port. The American Cancer Society says PICCs can be left in for days to months, and ports can stay in for months or years. Your team can tell you which fits your treatment plan.
Can I swim with either?
ACS says a PICC cannot get wet and must be covered when you bathe or shower. A healed port that is not in use sits fully under the skin, so you can bathe, shower and swim. Ask your team about your own device.
How are they placed?
ACS says a PICC is placed through an arm vein at the bedside by a trained nurse, without surgery. A port is placed by a surgeon or radiologist in a short procedure, with sedation or anesthesia.
Which has more infection risk?
Both can cause infection and blood clots. ACS lists fever, chills, and new redness, swelling or oozing at the site as signs of infection. A clot can cause redness or swelling in the hand, arm, shoulder or neck. Call your care team right away if you notice these.
What care do these devices need?
ACS says both need hand cleaning before anyone touches them and regular flushing before and after use. Ports that are not in use also need flushes now and then. Your team will tell you how often for your device.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-10-02 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-02Next planned review: 2027-01-30
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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